Synthesis and characterization of flexible thermographic phosphor temperature sensors

Abstract The temperature dependence of the emission characteristics of thermographic phosphors has been used extensively for surface temperature measurements of systems where thermal management is critical for the safe operation of the system. The instantaneous, remote, and highly accurate nature of this form of temperature measurement makes it a very attractive measurement technique. However, the destructive nature of depositing phosphors directly onto the surface of interest and the complications of working with fine powders has limited the use of this technique in all areas. This work focuses on the design and characterization of polymer-encapsulated thermographic phosphor flexible sensors for surface temperature assessment. La2O2S:Eu powder was embedded in an elastomeric sleeve at concentrations of 10%, 25%, and 50% wt. and fully characterized. The effect of spin-coating on emission characteristics of La2O2S:Eu was tested and the decay times were compared to results obtained from bulk-doped samples previously created by the authors.