Needs, Trends, and Advances in Scintillators for Radiographic Imaging and Tomography

Ultrafast Nanocomposite Scintillators Based on Cd-Enhanced CsPbCl3 Nanocrystals in Polymer Matrix

“…Ultrafast timing characteristics have been reported by Cs 3 ZnCl 5 with an even shorter decay time of 820 ps and lack of slow decay components. , Recently, CTR of 180 ps was reported for hot exciton organic scintillators . The scintillator decay time ultimately limits the overall performance of scintillator-based detectors; therefore, there is a strong push toward the discovery and development of ultrafast materials that may overcome the limitations of existing technology …”

“…Scintillator materials play a pivotal role in a wide array of applications, ranging from radiation detection in the fields of nuclear physics, medical imaging, , and homeland security , to fundamental research in high-energy physics (HEP) . As the demand for efficient and versatile scintillators continues to grow, the quest for materials that exhibit superior performance characteristics intensifies. , Nanocomposite scintillators, − a recent and promising development in this domain, have garnered significant attention for their potential to overcome the limitations of traditional scintillator crystals, which, although highly effective, face inherent limitations in terms of upscaling, cost-effectiveness, and timing performance . Conversely, commercial plastic scintillators, while cost-effective, versatile, and fast, exhibit limited performance in terms of energy resolution and radiation hardness due respectively to their low density and inherent fragility of conjugated molecular emitters to high-energy radiation .…”

“…66 The scintillator decay time ultimately limits the overall performance of scintillator-based detectors; therefore, there is a strong push toward the discovery and development of ultrafast materials that may overcome the limitations of existing technology. 8 In this work, we aim to contribute to this endeavor by investigating the scintillation properties of CsPbCl 3 NCs synthesized via a high-throughput room-temperature route and embedded in mass-polymerized polyacrylate composites. To enhance the optical properties and stability toward polymer embedding of as-synthesized CsPbCl 3 NCs�which are known to suffer from nonradiative losses and degradation much more severely than their Br-or I-based counterparts 67−69 �we further implemented a postsynthesis surface passivation treatment with CdCl 2 directly in a monomeric suspension which led to a near-unity photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (Φ PL ), boosted the radioluminescence (RL), and enhanced the NC stability toward the radical initiators used in the living polymerization of the nanocomposite process.…”

The role of lanthanide luminescence in advancing technology

“… 169 Current generation TOF-PET/CT scanners like the Siemens BiographVision™ and Philips Gemini™ TF scanners employ LSO:Ce 3+ and LYSO:Ce 3+ , respectively, for PET and GOS:Pr 3+ (UFC™) for CT. State of the art clinically used TOF-PET/CT devices all employ lanthanide-based scintillators in one or both detector components, and are able to achieve temporal resolutions down to hundreds of picoseconds, which has enabled higher signal to noise and better spatial resolution, as well as quantitative dosimetry for radiotherapy treatment planning. 131,164,169–171 Interestingly, GE announced in October 2022 a new generation of PET/CT scanners (Omni Legend) that utilize BGO crystals for the PET component, which is essentially full-circle in the PET detection field. 172 In this case, it is not the efficiency of the scintillator, but the efficiency of the other detector components that enables the use of a lower light yield, slower scintillator crystal.…”

“… 171 Notably, the search for scintillators that can continue to advance these imaging modalities is at the forefront of the materials science field. 131 However, the advancements that will be generated are likely to be in finding hosts that enable higher attenuation, higher light yields, better energy resolution and higher optical transparency, and that can be produced at high qualities at low cost. Combined, these advancements would enable lanthanide luminescence to be harnessed at maximum efficiency by the next generation of medical imaging detectors.…”