Mn(II)-Based Hybrid Halide Ionogel Scintillator Film for Large-Area and High-Resolution X-ray Imaging

Functionalized ionogels have attracted significant attention in chemical design of new materials and versatile applications, which are formed by polymer network as a matrix with introducing ionic liquids containing characteristic units as a dispersion medium. Here, we present an universal scheme to rapidly synthesize luminescent ionogels through the in situ formation of zero-dimensional (0D) hybrid metal halides during the polymerization of monomer. In particular, Mn(II)-based hybrid halide ionogels (Mn─IG) were formed by incorporating [C₂₀H₂₀P]⁺ cations and [MnBr₄]^2- anions into the polymer network structure. Thanks to the amorphous nature of Mn-IG and the homogeneous distribution of self-trapped [MnBr₄]^2- light-emitting units with [C₂₀H₂₀P]⁺ cations, Mn─IG exhibits high transparency (nearly 90% transmittance at 550 nm-1100 nm) and homogeneous highly-efficient emission. Taking advantage of its processability, we fabricate an 18 cm × 12 cm scintillation film and successfully realize large-area and high-resolution X-ray imaging. The straightforward and rapid synthesis method on such ionogels paves the way for the low-process-demand preparation of large-area scintillators, and also opens up new routes for the in situ construction of uniform 0D metal halide polymer composites.