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Because of their moderate penetration power, β-rays (high-energy electrons) are a useful signal for evaluating the surface contamination of nuclear radiation. However, the development of β-ray scintillators, which convert the absorbed high-energy electrons into visible photons, is hindered by the limitations of materials selection. Herein, we report two highly luminescent zero-dimensional (0D) organic–inorganic lead-free metal halide hybrids, (C13H30N)2MnBr4 and (C19H34N)2MnBr4, as scintillators exhibiting efficient β-ray scintillation. These hybrid scintillators combine the superior properties of organic and inorganic components. For example, organic components that contain light elements C, H, and N enhance the capturing efficiency of β particles; isolated inorganic [MnBr4]2− tetrahedrons serve as highly localized emitting centers to emit intense radioluminescence (RL) under β-ray excitation. Both hybrids show a narrow-band green emission peaked at 518 nm with photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (PLQEs) of 81.3% for (C13H30N)2MnBr4 and 86.4% for (C19H34N)2MnBr4, respectively. To enable the solution processing of this promising metal halide hybrid, we successfully synthesized (C13H30N)2MnBr4 colloidal nanocrystals for the first time. Being excited by β-rays, (C13H30N)2MnBr4 scintillators show a linear response to β-ray dose rate over a broad range from 400 to 2,800 Gy·s−1, and also display robust radiation resistance that 80% of the initial RL intensity can be maintained after an ultrahigh accumulated radiation dose of 240 kGy. This work will open up a new route for the development of β-ray scintillators.
Because of their moderate penetration power, β-rays (high-energy electrons) are a useful signal for evaluating the surface contamination of nuclear radiation. However, the development of β-ray scintillators, which convert the absorbed high-energy electrons into visible photons, is hindered by the limitations of materials selection. Herein, we report two highly luminescent zero-dimensional (0D) organic–inorganic lead-free metal halide hybrids, (C13H30N)2MnBr4 and (C19H34N)2MnBr4, as scintillators exhibiting efficient β-ray scintillation. These hybrid scintillators combine the superior properties of organic and inorganic components. For example, organic components that contain light elements C, H, and N enhance the capturing efficiency of β particles; isolated inorganic [MnBr4]2− tetrahedrons serve as highly localized emitting centers to emit intense radioluminescence (RL) under β-ray excitation. Both hybrids show a narrow-band green emission peaked at 518 nm with photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (PLQEs) of 81.3% for (C13H30N)2MnBr4 and 86.4% for (C19H34N)2MnBr4, respectively. To enable the solution processing of this promising metal halide hybrid, we successfully synthesized (C13H30N)2MnBr4 colloidal nanocrystals for the first time. Being excited by β-rays, (C13H30N)2MnBr4 scintillators show a linear response to β-ray dose rate over a broad range from 400 to 2,800 Gy·s−1, and also display robust radiation resistance that 80% of the initial RL intensity can be maintained after an ultrahigh accumulated radiation dose of 240 kGy. This work will open up a new route for the development of β-ray scintillators.
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This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61974052, 11774239, and 61827815), the Fund from Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality (No. JCYJ20190809180013252), and the Key Research and Development Program of Hubei Province (No. YFXM2020000188). The authors thank the Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology for the help on measurements.