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needed. Within the last two decades, a number of excellent scintillators based on Ce 3+ and Pr 3+ -doped materials, together with truly novel nanoscintillators, nanocomposites, and phase-separated material systems, have been discovered and studied in depth. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] This high R&D activity in the scintillator fi eld was triggered by the pressing needs of modern medical imaging and radiotherapy, of high-energy physics, homeland security, and environmental applications. Among them, Cedoped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (LuAG:Ce) aluminum garnets have attracted much attention because of their relatively high density of 6.73 g cm −3 , 5d -4f electric dipole allowed radiative transition of Ce 3+ with emission at around 500-550 nm, fast scintillation response of about 60 ns, and high theoretical light yield (LY) value of 60000 photons/MeV. [ 9,10 ] It was found that LuAG:Ce single crystal containing 0.55 at% Ce 3+ ions prepared by Bridgman technique is a highly competitive scintillator displaying a LY of about 26000 photons/MeV with a shaping time of 1.5 μs, close to that of Lu 2 SiO 5 :Ce (LSO:Ce). [ 11 ] Based on the understanding of defect chemistry, an effective bandgap engineering approach was successfully applied to the LuAG system. Multicomponent garnets, featuring a balanced admixture of Gd and Ga cations in the Lubased garnet structure, form a new family of materials with an amazingly high light yield up to 58000 photons/MeV, a value exceeding that of the best Lu 2-x Y x SiO 5 :Ce (LYSO:Ce) materials by about 40%. [12][13][14][15] Therefore, oxides based on garnet structure are presently considered as competitive candidates for advanced scintillation applications.However, the low segregation coeffi cient of Ce 3+ ions in the LuAG lattice is detrimental for the growth of homogeneously doped large LuAG:Ce single crystals, especially for high Ce 3+ concentrations (Ce 3+ > 0.2 at%). [ 16 ] It was also noticed that Lu Al antisite defects (AD) can severely deteriorate the scintillation characteristics of LuAG:Ce single crystals by acting as shallow traps, thus delaying the energy transport to the Ce 3+ emission centers. [ 17 ] Therefore, extensive research has recently been aimed at the preparation of ceramic analogues, which are characterized by lower preparation temperatures, more uniform doping, and lower cost. One point to consider is that during The choice of sintering agent appears critical to achieve both high optical transparency and scintillation performance. In this work, the optical investigations coupled with X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy evidence the benefi cial role of MgO sintering agent. Mg 2+ co-dopants in ceramics drive the partial conversion of Ce 3+ to Ce 4+ . The Ce 4+ center, however, does not impair the scintillation performance due to its capability to positively infl uence the scintillation process. The importance of simultaneous application of such co-doping and annealing treatment is also demonstrated. With 0.3 at% Mg, our ceramics display a light yield of ≈25000 photons/MeV wit...

In this study, transparent ZnS ceramics were hot pressed from precipitated wurtzite nanopowders. Influences of sintering temperature on wurtzite‐to‐sphalerite phase transition and densification behavior have been investigated. Maximum sphalerite phase content and highest densification were simultaneously obtained in the sample hot pressed at 900°C with uniaxial pressure of 250 MPa for 2 h, which accounts for the highest transmittance above 55% and 70% in the range 2–5 μm and 5–13 μm, respectively. Preferred orientation of wurtzite grains in [002] direction paralleled to the press direction was also observed, which is supposed to be benefit to transmittance by reducing birefraction and second‐phase scattering. Furthermore, second‐phase scattering caused by wurtzite grains has been investigated. It is found that fine grains are conducive to hot‐pressed ZnS ceramics with high transmittance, especially in the short‐wavelength range.