Scintillators, materials that produce light pulses upon interaction with ionizing radiation, are widely employed in radiation detectors. In advanced medical-imaging technologies, fast scintillators enabling a time resolution of tens of picoseconds are required to achieve high-resolution imaging at the millimetre length scale. Here we demonstrate that composite materials based on fluorescent metal–organic framework (MOF) nanocrystals can work as fast scintillators. We present a prototype scintillator fabricated by embedding MOF nanocrystals in a polymer. The MOF comprises zirconium oxo-hydroxy clusters, high-Z linking nodes interacting with the ionizing radiation, arranged in an orderly fashion at a nanometric distance from 9,10-diphenylanthracene ligand emitters. Their incorporation in the framework enables fast sensitization of the ligand fluorescence, thus avoiding issues typically arising from the intimate mixing of complementary elements. This proof-of-concept prototype device shows an ultrafast scintillation rise time of ~50 ps, thus supporting the development of new scintillators based on engineered fluorescent MOF nanocrystals.

Perego, J., Villa, I., Pedrini, A., Padovani, E., Crapanzano, R., Vedda, A., et al. (2021). Composite fast scintillators based on high-Z fluorescent metal–organic framework nanocrystals. NATURE PHOTONICS, 15(5), 393-400 [10.1038/s41566-021-00769-z].

Composite fast scintillators based on high-Z fluorescent metal–organic framework nanocrystals

Perego, J.
Co-primo
;
Villa, I.
Co-primo
;
Crapanzano, R.;Vedda, A.
;
Bezuidenhout, Charl X.;Bracco, S.;Sozzani, P. E.;Comotti, A.
;
Gironi, L.
;
Beretta, M.;Salomoni, M.;Gundacker, S.;Meinardi, F.;Monguzzi, A.
Ultimo
2021

Abstract

Scintillators, materials that produce light pulses upon interaction with ionizing radiation, are widely employed in radiation detectors. In advanced medical-imaging technologies, fast scintillators enabling a time resolution of tens of picoseconds are required to achieve high-resolution imaging at the millimetre length scale. Here we demonstrate that composite materials based on fluorescent metal–organic framework (MOF) nanocrystals can work as fast scintillators. We present a prototype scintillator fabricated by embedding MOF nanocrystals in a polymer. The MOF comprises zirconium oxo-hydroxy clusters, high-Z linking nodes interacting with the ionizing radiation, arranged in an orderly fashion at a nanometric distance from 9,10-diphenylanthracene ligand emitters. Their incorporation in the framework enables fast sensitization of the ligand fluorescence, thus avoiding issues typically arising from the intimate mixing of complementary elements. This proof-of-concept prototype device shows an ultrafast scintillation rise time of ~50 ps, thus supporting the development of new scintillators based on engineered fluorescent MOF nanocrystals.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
sicintillators; composite materials; met-organic framework; MOF; nnocrystals; fast emitters;
English
4-mar-2021
2021
15
5
393
400
reserved
Perego, J., Villa, I., Pedrini, A., Padovani, E., Crapanzano, R., Vedda, A., et al. (2021). Composite fast scintillators based on high-Z fluorescent metal–organic framework nanocrystals. NATURE PHOTONICS, 15(5), 393-400 [10.1038/s41566-021-00769-z].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/309251
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