Mn2+-doped Cs3Cu2I5 halides and their application in high resolution X-ray imaging and thermal neutron detection

Abstract

In this study, Mn²⁺-doped Cs₃Cu₂I₅ microcrystalline powders were synthesized via a solution-based method, and their potential applications in X-ray and thermal neutron detection were explored. By optimizing the trace doping concentration, it was found that the incorporation of Mn²⁺ effectively modifies defect states, enhances photoluminescence (PL) intensity, and increases the Stokes shift, thereby significantly reducing self-absorption. In X-ray imaging, the Mn-doped samples achieved a maximum spatial resolution of 16.5 lp mm⁻¹, surpassing most known halide materials. Additionally, by incorporating this material with ⁶LiF to fabricate thin films for thermal neutron detection, experimental results demonstrated that at a Mn-doping concentration of 50 ppm, a light yield of approximately 24 500 photons per thermal neutron, nearly 3.5 times that of the commercial GS20 (7000 photons per thermal neutron), was obtained and clear discrimination between neutron and gamma signals from the same source was achieved. These findings highlight the significant potential of Mn²⁺-doped Cs₃Cu₂I₅ for multimodal radiation detection.