SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3677-9
The demand for high-performance scintillators in high-temperature applications, such as industrial flaw detection and oil exploration, necessitates materials with both high efficiency and thermal robustness. This work reports Tb3+-doped oxyfluoride glass scintillators exhibiting anti-thermal-quenching radioluminescence (RL). Three synergistic strategies were employed: (i) an oxyfluoride glass host providing a low-phonon-energy environment, (ii) increased structural densification of the glass network, and (iii) thermally enhanced energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+. The resulting scintillators achieve an optical transmittance exceeding 88% at 542 nm, a record RL intensity of 350% relative to a standard Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) crystal, and an imaging resolution of 24 lp mm−1. Notably, the RL intensity at 633 K reaches 143% of its room-temperature (303 K) value, demonstrating significant anti-thermal-quenching behavior. In contrast, commercial BGO and CsI:Tl scintillators exhibit RL intensities dropping to approximately 1% under identical conditions. These results establish the potential of Tb3+-doped glass scintillators for high-temperature X-ray imaging and provide a strategic framework for developing thermally robust scintillating materials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3642-4
High-density glass scintillators are promising alternatives to crystals for next-generation radiation detection due to their low cost, excellent physical and chemical stability, and processability. In this study, a series of Ce3+-activated gadolinium gallium borosilicate (GGBS x) glasses were synthesized via vacuum melt-quenching. With increasing Gd2O3 content, glass density increased from 5.86 to 6.05 g/cm3, and molar volume from 36.43 to 39.79 cm3/mol. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis revealed that in GGBS 1 glass, Ce3+ exclusively adopts a hexahedral [CeO6] configuration, while Gd3+ exhibits both hexahedral and octahedral coordination with a bond length of 2.35±0.1 Å and Debye-Waller factor σ2 of 0.0122±0.0015 Å2. As Gd2O3 content increased, shallow trap depth rose from 0.804 to 0.858 eV, while deep trap depth first increased from 0.948 to 1.434 eV then decreased to 1.010 eV. GGBS 1 glass exhibited high transmittance (~80%) in the visible range and a photoluminescence quantum yield of 78.4%. Under X-ray irradiation, its X-ray excited luminescence intensity reached 128.5% of that of Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) crystal, with a spatial resolution of 29.1 lp/mm, approaching the highest reported for glass scintillators. Under γ-ray excitation, it achieved a light yield of 1058 photons/MeV and an energy resolution of 23.7% at 662 keV. These results indicate that GGBS 1 glass scintillator warrants further development for applications in X-ray imaging and γ-ray spectroscopy.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3920-1
Lead-free halide perovskites are promising scintillators due to strong X-ray attenuation and high internal quantum efficiency (IQE), but their application is hindered by moisture sensitivity. Here, CsSrCl3:Eu2+ nanocrystals were grown in situ in a specially designed inorganic glass matrix. By employing [PO4]-modification and controlled crystallization, a transparent CsSrCl3:Eu2+ glass-ceramic (GC) scintillator was obtained, combining high crystallinity (15.9%) with excellent optical transparency (85.3% at 432 nm). The GC exhibits outstanding photoluminescence (PL) performance, including a high IQE of 87.6% and superior thermal stability (74% intensity retention at 493 K relative to 303 K). Benefiting from the robust glass matrix, the GC retains 99% of its initial PL intensity after 14 days of water immersion. Under X-ray excitation, it shows blue X-ray excited luminescence (XEL), with peak and integrated intensities reaching 117% and 25.1% of those of Bi4Ge3O12 crystal, respectively. The scintillator achieves a high spatial resolution of 20 lp mm−1 and an X-ray detection limit of 3.7 μGy s−1. Furthermore, it demonstrates exceptional operational stability in humid environments, maintaining clear X-ray image contrast even after 48 h of water submersion. This study provides an effective strategy for stabilizing hygroscopic halide scintillators in a durable [PO4]-modified fluoroaluminate glass matrix and demonstrates the potential of CsSrCl3:Eu2+ GC for high-resolution and stable X-ray imaging.