The researchers from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University created a new scintillation material converting X radiation into visible light. Such materials are used in medical X-ray apparatus and in equipment for industrial quality control. The new material has one distinctive feature: it may be used in flexible light screens, which are very sound and simultaneously demonstrate high performance.
The material is a coordination polymer based on a compound of copper and iodine with added urotropine, which are then introduced into flexible polymer matrix — ethylene vinyl acetate. Eventually, a composite material was received, which can be easily bent, but at the same time demonstrates bright fluorescence when exposed to X-rays.
The development looks prominent based on several parameters. Firstly, the material features practically maximum luminous efficiency — up to 98.5% of radiation is converted into visible light. Secondly, it is resistible to high temperatures (up to 300 °C), and the material doesn’t hurt if it gets wet. Thirdly, this material keeps its performance even when exposed to strong X-radiation for a long time.
Practically it means that new scintillation screens allow for receiving very clear and detailed images, which is especially important when examining very small parts. Besides, flexibility and light weight of the material allow for making portable bent X-ray equipment, for example, to explore hard-to-reach areas.
The scientists emphasize that one of their most important achievements was using accessible inexpensive substances and simple methods of synthesis. This makes it easier to scale-up the production of such materials making it economically feasible.
“It was important for us to create not just a high-performing scintillator, but rather a material which can be produced on commercial scale and integrated into flexible devices without compromising the performance”, says Alexei Tarasov, head of the lab of new materials for solar energy of the New Materials Department (Moscow State University).
