Highly Luminescent Zero-Dimensional Organic Copper Halides for X-ray Scintillation.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-State Chemistry
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Developing efficient and stable scintillators is crucial for advanced imaging technologies.
• Organic copper halides offer potential for novel scintillator materials due to their unique optoelectronic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report highly efficient, flexible, and reabsorption-free organic copper halide scintillators.
• To investigate the photophysical properties and potential applications of these novel materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of zero-dimensional (0D) organic copper halides (TBA)CuX₂.
• Photoluminescence (PL) and temperature-dependent PL spectroscopy.
• Ultrafast transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
• Radioluminescence (RL) measurements and X-ray imaging experiments.

Main Results:

• (TBA)CuX₂ single crystals exhibit high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) with green and sky-blue emissions.
• PLQYs increase with temperature above room temperature, reaching near unity.
• Self-trapped excitons (STEs) in [CuX₂]^- quantum rods are responsible for the excellent properties.
• Demonstrated bright radioluminescence, linear dose rate response, and high light yields.
• Successful application in flexible composite scintillation screens for X-ray imaging, outperforming flat screens for nonplanar objects.

Conclusions:

• (TBA)CuX₂ are highly efficient, temperature-stable organic scintillators.
• These materials offer significant advantages for flexible X-ray imaging applications.
• The findings open new avenues for developing advanced scintillator technologies.