Phase Control via Composite Encapsulation for Ultra-Stable, High-Resolution Organic Manganese Halide Scintillator...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Chemistry
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Organic-inorganic metal halide glasses (OIMHGs) offer potential for high-resolution X-ray imaging due to transparency and tunable properties.
• A major limitation is their instability, with a tendency to crystallize under ambient conditions, degrading performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the mechanism behind the glass-to-crystal transition in (MTP)2MnBr4 OIMHGs.
• To develop strategies to enhance the environmental stability of these materials for X-ray imaging.

Main Methods:

• X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements.
• X-ray scattering analysis.
• Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations.
• Composite encapsulation using quartz glass and parylene polymer.

Main Results:

• Water molecules were identified as the primary driver of the glass-to-crystal transition by influencing component arrangement.
• A novel composite encapsulation strategy was developed, suppressing crystallization by over 100 times.
• The encapsulated material maintained a spatial resolution of 26.3 lp mm⁻¹ for over twelve months.

Conclusions:

• Environmental stability is crucial for the practical application of OIMHG-based scintillators.
• The developed encapsulation method significantly enhances the durability of OIMHGs for advanced X-ray imaging.