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I was pulling off some duct tape (black Gorilla tape) from the side of my stand-alone air-conditioner unit in the dark. Although stuck on well, the tape was fresh and came off cleanly from the plastic outer cover. During separation, at the point of separation, a blue light was emitted. I repeated this by adding a new piece of tape and pulling it off. Is the light energy from me pulling on the tape making light or is it the bond being broken between the tape and plastic? What is this kind of light called?

1 Answers1

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Triboluminescence. The exact mechanism in sticky stuff is still uncertain, but it's not just light. It makes X-rays. Fractoluminescence is the version that applies only to fracturing crystals (e.g. Wint-o-Green Lifesavers®).

Here's a photo from Tribogenics, the now defunct company that made portable X-ray sources:

enter image description here

JEB
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