Mechanoluminescence and thermoluminescence of Mn doped ZnS nanocrystals

► ZnS:Mn nanocrystals are synthesized by the chemical route. ► The particle size was found to be in between 3 and 5 nm. ► Impulsive deformation method was used for measuring the ML intensity. ► ML can be understood on the basis of the piezoelectrically induced electron detrapping model. ► TL increases as the particle size is decreased. The isothermal decay technique is used to determine the trap-depth.