Defect-engineered Ce³⁺-doped borosilicate glass scintillator for multifunctional and environment-adaptive X-Ray imaging

Advanced scintillation materials capable of simultaneously delivering ultrahigh efficiency, exceptional stability, and multifunctional X-ray imaging remain elusive because of intrinsic trade-offs in conventional scintillators. Hernin, a defect-engineered Ce³⁺-activated borosilicate glass was developed. It exhibits high internal/external quantum efficiencies of 92.4%/85%, an ultrafast lifetime of 142.3 ns, and XEL intensity further reaching 190% of BGO after “bright-burning effect”, setting a new performance benchmark for Ce³⁺-activated glass scintillators. The glass combines remarkable thermostability, superior environment durability and outstanding long-term radiation tolerance. Furthermore, the formation of irradiation-induced Frenkel defects enables the unprecedented integration of efficient scintillation and persistent information retention into a single material. Consequently, the glass supports high-resolution multifunctional X-ray imaging across real-time (22.1 lp/mm), time-lapse (12 lp/mm), dynamic, high-temperature, and underwater modes. This work advances Frenkel defect engineering in amorphous scintillators and provides a viable route toward next-generation intelligent X-ray imaging under complex conditions.