Emergence of a Lanthanide Chalcogenide as an Ideal Scintillator for a Flexible X-ray Detector

The development of high-performance X-ray detectors requires scintillators with fast decay time, high light yield, stability, and X-ray absorption capacity, which are difficult to achieve in a single material. Here, we present the first example of a lanthanide chalcogenide of LaCsSiS4 : 1 % Ce3+ that simultaneously integrates multiple desirable properties for an ideal scintillator. LaCsSiS4 : 1 % Ce3+ demonstrates a remarkably low detection limit of 43.13 nGy(air) s(-1) and a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 98.24 %, resulting in a high light yield of 50480 & PLUSMN;1441 photons/MeV. Notably, LaCsSiS4 : 1 % Ce3+ exhibits a fast decay time of only 29.35 & PLUSMN;0.16 ns, making it one of the fastest scintillators among all lanthanide-based inorganic scintillators. Furthermore, this material shows robust radiation and moisture resistance, endowing it with suitability for chemical processing under solution conditions. To demonstrate the X-ray imaging capacity of LaCsSiS4 : 1 % Ce3+, we fabricated a flexible X-ray detector that achieved a high spatial resolution of 8.2 lp mm(-1). This work highlights the potential of lanthanide chalcogenide as a promising candidate for high-performance scintillators.

Automated summary

This paper presents the first example of a lanthanide chalcogenide material, LaCsSiS4:1%Ce3+, which integrates multiple desirable properties for an ideal scintillator in one crystal. It has fast decay time, high light yield, stability, and X-ray absorption capacity, making it a promising candidate for high-performance scintillators.