In Situ Synthesis of Sb-Based Films with Multistate STE Emission for High-Resolution Curved X-ray Imaging

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Radiological Imaging

Background:

• Antimony (Sb)-based metal halides offer low toxicity and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) for scintillator applications.
• Understanding the luminescence mechanism and fabrication of flexible scintillation screens is crucial for advanced imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a large-area flexible Sb-based scintillator film.
• To elucidate the luminescence mechanism of (C19H18P)2SbCl5.
• To evaluate the performance of flexible versus rigid X-ray imaging.

Main Methods:

• In situ annealing crystallization for fabricating (C19H18P)2SbCl5@PVDF film.
• Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and temperature-dependent photoluminescence studies to determine the luminescence mechanism.
• Characterization of light yield, linear response, irradiation resistance, and spatial resolution.

Main Results:

• A flexible film with 91.81% PLQY and 252 nm Stokes shift was achieved.
• Multistate self-trapped exciton emission identified as the luminescence mechanism.
• High light yields (37654 photons MeV^-1 for crystal, 33505 photons MeV^-1 for film), good linearity, and irradiation resistance confirmed.
• High spatial resolution (22.6 line pairs mm^-1) enabling quality imaging on curved surfaces.

Conclusions:

• The developed flexible Sb-based scintillator film minimizes self-absorption and enables high-quality X-ray imaging on curved surfaces.
• The study clarifies the luminescence mechanism, advancing Sb-based scintillator technology.
• This work paves the way for high-resolution nonplanar imaging applications.