Scintillator‐oriented near‐infrared emitting Cs4SrI6:Yb2+, Sm2+ single crystals via sensitization strategy

• Published in: Journal of the American Ceramic Society Vol. 106; no. 11; pp. 6762 - 6768
• Main Authors: Wen, Xuemin, Kucerkova, Romana, Babin, Vladimir, Prusa, Petr, Kotykova, Monika, Nikl, Martin, Li, Wen, Wang, Qian, Kurosawa, Shunsuke, Wu, Yuntao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Columbus Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-11-2023
• Subjects: Avalanche diodes; Energy transfer; Gamma spectroscopy; Near infrared radiation; Photodiodes; Scintillation counters; Single crystals
• ISSN: 0002-7820; 1551-2916
• DOI: 10.1111/jace.19302

In this study, a new Cs4SrI6:Yb2+,Sm2+ near‐infrared (NIR) emitting scintillator was developed using sensitization strategy. It was found that Yb2+ sensitization significantly enhances the NIR radioluminescence (RL) of Sm2+, providing a new approach of designing highly emissive sensitized NIR scintillators. By studying the optical spectra and decay kinetics of Cs4SrI6:Yb2+,Sm2+, it was revealed that the energy transfer pathways involve both radiative and nonradiative processes. The gamma spectroscopy performance of Cs4SrI6:Yb2+,Sm2+ 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.