Rare earth doped strontium aluminate/poly(methyl methacrylate) composites for lighting with long persistent luminescence and high tensile performance

Abstract SrAl₂O₄ co‐doped with Eu²⁺ and Dy³⁺ ions (SAOED) have great potential in lighting field due to the unique light energy absorption‐storage‐released properties. In this work, a series of SAOED/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) luminescent composites were prepared and investigated. The maximum afterglow intensity of SAOED/PMMA composites was reached when the SAOED particle size was 26 μm, the mass ratio of SAOED to PMMA was 0.6 and the thickness of composites was 4.3 mm. Meanwhile, the tensile strength and modulus of the SAOED/PMMA composites were 22.06 MPa and 3.92 GPa, respectively. After being reexcited by a 3.5 W white diode used as normal functional lighting, SAOED/PMMA composites were able to achieve the requirement on landscape lighting (>2 lx), which showed promising engineering prospects in alternative lighting. Highlights The particle size, mass ratio and thickness effected the afterglow intensity. The optimal composites presented promising long persistent luminescence. Resulting SrAl₂O₄ co‐doped with Eu²⁺ and Dy³⁺ ions (SAOED)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composites possessed high tensile performance. The SAOED/PMMA composites showed great potential in alternative lighting.