Efficient and robust manganese-based hybrid ceramics enabled by dual-ligand regulation for high-performance 3D X-ray imaging

Abstract

Organic–inorganic manganese-based hybrid ceramics (MHC) have received a great deal of attention due to their structural diversity and outstanding luminescence in radiation detection applications. However, they are mostly focused on single-ligand regions, and achieving simultaneous sensitive detection and operational stability remains the major challenge for MHC. Here, we successfully obtained a novel manganese-based hybrid compound, MTP–BTACMnBr₄, due to the simultaneous employment of two distinct classes of organic chains. Interestingly, lower structural distortion of tetrahedra and smaller manganese–manganese spacing are observed in the dual-ligand component compared to the single-ligand counterpart, which is attributable to the synergistic regulation of dual ligands. Compared to two single-ligand components, MTP–BTACMnBr₄ exhibits an enhanced light yield of 23 170 photons MeV⁻¹, significantly surpassing that of the commercial material BGO. Furthermore, excellent radiation stability is displayed in our dual-ligand hybrid ceramic under massive radiation exposure at 42.29 mGy s⁻¹. Through a melt-quenching hot-pressing process, large-area dual-ligand MHCs are successfully fabricated, achieving outstanding 3D X-ray imaging with a high imaging resolution of 15 lp mm⁻¹. This research paves the way for designing efficient and robust scintillation ceramics driven by dual ligands for practical X-ray applications.