Work

Defect-engineered Ce 3+ -doped borosilicate glass scintillator for multifunctional and environment-adaptive X-Ray imaging

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Advanced scintillation materials capable of simultaneously delivering ultrahigh efficiency, exceptional stability, and multifunctional X-ray imaging remain elusive because of intrinsic trade-offs in conventional scintillators. Hernin, a defect-engineered Ce3+-activated borosilicate glass was developed. It exhibits high internal/external quantum efficiencies of 92.4%/85%, an ultrafast lifetime of 142.3 ns, and XEL intensity further reaching 190% of BGO after “bright-burning effect”, setting a new performance benchmark for Ce3+-activated glass scintillators. The glass combines remarkable thermostability, superior environment durability and outstanding long-term radiation tolerance. Furthermore, the formation of irradiation-induced Frenkel defects enables the unprecedented integration of efficient scintillation and persistent information retention into a single material. Consequently, the glass supports high-resolution multifunctional X-ray imaging across real-time (22.1 lp/mm), time-lapse (12 lp/mm), dynamic, high-temperature, and underwater modes. This work advances Frenkel defect engineering in amorphous scintillators and provides a viable route toward next-generation intelligent X-ray imaging under complex conditions.

Source: Journal of Advanced Ceramics

DOI: 10.26599/jac.2026.9221393

Authors: Chao Tang, Siyu Guo, Rongfei Wei, Xiangling Tian, Fangfang Hu, Hai Guo

Institutions: Zhejiang Normal University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Language: English

Topic: Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies

Subfield: Radiation

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,372

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China