Near-Infrared II Scintillator for High-Resolution X-ray Imaging

Authors

Gu, S., Wu, Z., Xu, S., Dai, Z., Zheng, J., Li, A.-M., Choy, W. C. H., Qu, L., Dai, H., Wang, F.

Abstract

Light scattering in scintillators is a pervasive problem and a key factor limiting X-ray imaging resolution. Here, we shift scintillator radioluminescence from the traditional visible range into the short-wave infrared (SWIR) or near-infrared II (NIR-II, 1000-3000 nm) window to mitigate light scattering and thereby enhance light penetration and X-ray imaging resolution. We present an NIR II MgGa2O4:Ni2+ scintillator with peak emission at 1340 nm, achieving a threefold improvement in X-ray imaging resolution compared with visible scintillators owing to reduced light scattering. This heavy-metal-free NIR-II scintillator exhibits intense radioluminescence comparable to that of conventional visible-emitting CsI:Tl, achieving a detection limit of 56 nanograys per second, ~100-fold lower than typical doses used in medical imaging. We show that this NIR-II scintillator enables high-resolution X-ray radiography of electronic circuit boards and biological tissues.

Preprint server: bioRxiv
The authors list and abstract were imported from bioRxiv on 04 Jul 2026.

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