Scintillator‐oriented near‐infrared emitting Cs ₄ SrI ₆ :Yb ²⁺ , Sm ²⁺ single crystals via sensitization strategy

Abstract

Abstract In this study, a new Cs 4 SrI 6 :Yb 2+ ,Sm 2+ near‐infrared (NIR) emitting scintillator was developed using sensitization strategy. It was found that Yb 2+ sensitization significantly enhances the NIR radioluminescence (RL) of Sm 2+ , providing a new approach of designing highly emissive sensitized NIR scintillators. By studying the optical spectra and decay kinetics of Cs 4 SrI 6 :Yb 2+ ,Sm 2+ , it was revealed that the energy transfer pathways involve both radiative and nonradiative processes. The gamma spectroscopy performance of Cs 4 SrI 6 :Yb 2+ ,Sm 2+ single crystals was studied by using the high‐quantum‐efficiency avalanche photodiode (APD) as the readout. Our results highlight the importance of using sensitization strategy of achieving NIR emitting scintillators and demonstrate the significant potential for radiation detection applications.