High-Temperature X-Ray Imaging with Transparent Ceramics Scintillators

Scintillators with high spatial-resolution and high-stability are highly desirable for X-ray imaging applications at unpredictable environments. To challenge state-of-the-art technology, it is necessary to design high thermal stable scintillators with high-resolution and high light yield. In this work, the zero-thermal-quenching Lu3Al5O12:Ce3+ (LuAG: Ce3+) transparent ceramics (TCs) is synthesized with high optical transparency. The thermoluminescence (TL) curves of the as-obtained TCs demonstrate that the formation of the oxygen vacancies, acting as the trapping centers, can capture the carriers and then contribute to the enhancement of its thermals stability via the thermal compensation effect. The exceptional thermal-stability of the TCs scintillator endows the monitoring of the dynamic changes of the internal structure of the objective samples without any ghosting effects during heating. In addition, given the ultra-high uniform, transparency, and fast light decay of the TCs scintillator, the excellent spatial resolution (approximate to 112 lp mm-1) of the X-ray microscopic imaging is realized. These results undeniably demonstrate that the as-obtained LuAG: Ce3+ TCs have great prospects for advancement in X-ray detectors. X-ray imaging characteristics of the as-obtained LuAG:Ce TC scintillator: Photograph of the as-obtained LuAG: Ce TC scintillator, thermal stability comparison of the as-obtained LuAG: Ce TC scintillator with commercial scintillators (BGO and CsI: Tl), diagram of the X-ray microscopic imaging system, and MTF curve of LuAG: Ce TC scintillator based on the microscopic imaging system. image