Zi Yingzhu, Huang Anjun, Zhao Heping, Bai Xue, Liu Yue, Cun Yangke, Song Zhiguo, Qiu Jianbei, Shen Yang, Zhou Ji, Yang Zhengwen
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China.
Southwest United Graduate School, Kunming, 650093, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 25;16(1):6857. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62167-1.
Stimulus-responsive chromogenic luminescent materials are promising for security and optical storage, yet force-induced color change in inorganic materials remains rarely reported. Here we report a europium tungstate that exhibits mechanochromism, driven by pressure-induced tungsten valence transformation and color center formation. The sample color shifts from orange to black with increasing pressure, accompanied by a linear variation in reflectance. A luminescence modulation rate of 100% for Eu is achieved due to the strong reabsorption of the black state. Negative photochromism, switching from black/orange to white, occurs under laser irradiation or heating via the reversible phase transition between EuWO and EuWO. The luminescence modulation is attributed to the synergistic effects of body color reabsorption and nonradiative transitions. Our work demonstrates a robust inorganic material responsive to force, light, and heat, offering versatile functionality for pressure sensing, anti-counterfeiting, and optical storage, and provides a design strategy for multicolor chromogenic materials.
刺激响应型发色发光材料在安全和光存储方面具有广阔前景，然而无机材料中力致变色现象仍鲜有报道。在此，我们报道了一种钨酸铕，它表现出机械变色特性，由压力诱导的钨价态转变和色心形成所驱动。随着压力增加，样品颜色从橙色变为黑色，同时反射率呈线性变化。由于黑色状态的强烈再吸收，实现了铕100%的发光调制率。在激光照射或加热下，通过EuWO₄和EuWO₃之间的可逆相变，发生从黑色/橙色到白色的负光致变色现象。发光调制归因于体色再吸收和非辐射跃迁的协同效应。我们的工作展示了一种对力、光和热有响应的坚固无机材料，为压力传感、防伪和光存储提供了多功能性，并为多色发色材料提供了一种设计策略。
