Enhancing the Sensitivity and Spatial Imaging Resolution of a Hybrid X-ray Imaging Screen via Energy Transfer at the ZnS (Ag)–TADF Interface
Shorooq Alomar a
a King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Platform (KSP), Physical Science & Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Proceedings of Emerging Light Emitting Materials 2025 (EMLEM25)
La Canea, Greece, 2025 October 8th - 10th
Organizers: Maksym Kovalenko and Grigorios Itskos
Poster, Shorooq Alomar, 055
Publication date: 17th July 2025

Novel scintillation materials have played an indispensable role in the recent remarkable progress witnessed for X-ray imaging technology. Herein, a high-performance X-ray scintillation screen was developed based on a highly efficient hybrid system combining inorganic ZnS (Ag) with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) scintillator materials via an interfacial energy transfer (EnT) mechanism. ZnS (Ag) has a high X-ray absorption capacity and functions as the initial layer for efficiently converting high-energy X-ray photons into low-energy visible light (acting as a sensitizer) while also serving as an energy donor. The TADF component, on the contrary, is an energy acceptor and forms an active scintillating layer. By harnessing TADF chromophores that can efficiently capture both singlet and triplet excitons, our composite material offers a remarkable spatial imaging resolution of 24 line pairs per millimeter, surpassing those of the majority of existing organic and inorganic scintillators. Further, our interfacial energy transfer strategy effectively amplifies the radioluminescence intensity of the TADF scintillator by a factor of 75, offering an outstanding light yield of 38,000 photons/MeV. This advancement represents a remarkable breakthrough in organic X-ray scintillation technology and is a notable achievement within the X-ray imaging field, paving the way for novel applications in medical imaging and security inspection.

The authors would like to thank King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the CARF-FCC/1/1972- 63-01 project for the financial support, and the Supercomputing Laboratory at KAUST for computational and storage resources

© FUNDACIO DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA SCITO
We use our own and third party cookies for analysing and measuring usage of our website to improve our services. If you continue browsing, we consider accepting its use. You can check our Cookies Policy in which you will also find how to configure your web browser for the use of cookies. More info