Stable Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Sb(III) Halide Scintillator for Nonplanar Ultra-Flexible X-Ray Imaging

Flexible scintillator screens with excellent stability and low detection limits are crucial for X-ray imaging applications. 0D organic metal halide materials have emerged as a strong contender in the scintillator fields, owing to their excellent optical characteristics and simple maneuverability. Herein, high-quality and large quantities of C₃₈H₃₆P₂Sb₂Cl₈ single crystals are synthesized through a simple solution approach. The prepared single crystals with dimer-structure [Sb₂Cl₈]²⁻ exhibit yellow emission with a near-unity high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 99.8%, and possess an exceptional light yield of 41300 photons MeV⁻¹, and a detection limit as low as 45.6 nGy_air s⁻¹. On this basis, a large-size and ultra-flexible C₃₈H₃₆P₂Sb₂Cl₈ scintillator utilized for X-ray imaging is prepared by template assembled method, demonstrating a high spatial resolution of 8.15 lp mm⁻¹. The prepared ultra-flexible scintillator screen can achieve excellent X-ray imaging even after multiple bending and stretching, which can also provide clear non-planar X-ray imaging for irregular objects. In addition, the scintillator shows excellent stability in light, heat, X-ray irradiation, and water. These results not only expand the optoelectronic application field of organic-inorganic hybrid antimony halides but also promote the rapid development of efficient ultra-flexible scintillators.