Innovations in scintillator materials for X-ray detection

Abstract

Since their introduction in the early 20th century, scintillators have become essential components of a wide range of applications, including high-energy physics, medical imaging, cryptography, and nuclear detection. As the demand for high-performance scintillating materials continues to rise in particle physics experiments and medical imaging technologies, the development of novel scintillator materials has become a critical area of research. In recent years, advancements in scintillators have flourished, presenting new opportunities for practical applications. This review presents a comprehensive overview of standard performance parameters for scintillators, aimed at enhancing our understanding and evaluating their advancements. Unlike previous reviews focusing on isolated material categories, this work provides a cross-comparative analysis of emerging scintillators, with particular emphasis on challenges for high-precision detection and low-dose imaging. We highlight the latest developments in scintillator materials, emphasizing research from the past three years and focusing on their intrinsic properties. Our analysis covers the perovskite scintillators, nanocluster scintillators, rare-earth ion-doped scintillators, organic scintillators, and scintillators with specialized structures. This classification offers a scientific perspective on the overall progress in the field of scintillators, and several forward-looking insights into the future development of scintillators are proposed, employing a problem-oriented approach. Future scintillator development requires synergistic material design integrating computational modeling and scalable fabrication techniques to enhance stability, radiation tolerance, and light yields. Prioritizing lead-free systems and defect-tolerant lattice engineering will address environmental and operational challenges, and advancements in hybrid architectures, and novel optical structures promise breakthroughs in low-dose imaging, industrial nondestructive testing and sustainable radiation detection technologies. Eventually, we discuss the challenges encountered in scintillator development, explore future prospects, and provide valuable insights for improving their performances and expanding their applications.