Colloidal Copper(I) Iodide Cluster-Based Scintillators for High-Resolution X-Ray Imaging

Copper(I) halide cluster-based coordination compounds have attracted significant attention in the development of novel scintillators due to their mild synthesis methods, high luminescence efficiency, tunable emission wavelength, high-Z element incorporation, and large structural diversity. However, a major obstacle for these crystalline materials with covalent/coordination network structures is their insolubility, which poses significant challenges for the low-cost and large-scale production of scintillation films. In this study, copper(I) iodide and benzotriazole derivative ligands with diverse cationic substituents are employed to fabricate all-in-one (AIO) colloidal copper(I) iodide cluster-based scintillator suspensions. These suspensions, characterized by distinctive ionic and coordination bonds, are synthesized via confined growth in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Furthermore, they demonstrate exceptional compatibility with polymer matrices, facilitating the production of uniform and flexible scintillation films with highly efficient radioluminescence through blade coating. The resulting films achieved an excellent spatial resolution of 17 lp mm-1. This surfactant-assisted fabrication method for colloidal scintillators, combined with microelectronic printing for film preparation, demonstrates significant potential for developing flexible scintillation films for high-resolution X-ray imaging. Three AIO-structured copper(I) iodide cluster-based colloidal scintillators with ionic and coordination bond characteristics are synthesized using a surfactant-assisted (PVP) confined growth strategy. The presence of ionic bonds and PVP surfactants in these structures enhances their solution dispersibility and ensures good compatibility with polymer matrices. The resulting flexible scintillation films achieve an impressive X-ray imaging resolution of 17 lp mm-1. image