Lanthanide-Metal-Doped Light-Harvesting Quantum Dots for Exceptional X-ray Imaging Scintillators

Abstract

The energy donor’s superlative antenna effect efficiently improves the performance of the reaction centers of light-harvesting systems. Consequently, we successfully leveraged this exceptional capability to develop high-performance X-ray imaging scintillator screens. Electron microscopy imaging with atomic-level resolution and theoretical calculations have revealed that within lanthanide-ion-doped CaMoO 4 (Ln 3+ –CaMoO 4, Ln = Eu or Tb) quantum dots (QDs), Ln 3+ is uniformly distributed throughout the CaMoO 4 lattice. The synergy between Ln 3+ and CaMoO 4 QDs amplifies the X-ray photon absorption capacities and enables efficient energy transfer from the CaMoO 4 QD antenna to the Ln 3+ emission center, significantly enhancing the X-ray sensitivity and imaging resolution of QD screens. To illustrate, the CaMoO 4:(Eu 3+ ) 0.20 QD screens exhibit an impressive X-ray imaging resolution, exceeding 23 lp/mm, outperforming most recognized organic and conventional inorganic scintillators. These findings can position doped QDs as promising scintillators for X-ray imaging with potential application in medical radiology and security screening.