Centimeter-sized anthracene single crystals for low-dose X-ray detection via tailored Bridgman growth

Abstract

Organic scintillators promise low-cost, flexible, and tunable platforms for next-generation X-ray detection, but their low atomic numbers and the difficulty of producing large, high-quality crystals have limited sensitivity and practical use. Here we report a tailored Bridgman growth strategy that yields centimeter-scale anthracene single crystals using a sealed ampoule with a conical tip for controlled seeding and vapor suppression. The bulk crystals show excellent structural quality and minimal self-absorption and deliver strong scintillation performance, including an ultrafast decay time of 4.41 ns, an X-ray detection limit of 0.347 μGy s⁻¹ in scintillation mode, and exceptional operational stability under continuous irradiation and ambient conditions. When integrated into direct X-ray detectors, the crystals enable a sensitivity of 1830 μC Gy⁻¹ cm⁻² and an ultralow limit of detection (LOD) of 22.85 nGy s⁻¹. Our work establishes a scalable route to high-performance organic crystals and positions anthracene as a promising candidate for low-dose X-ray detectors and imaging.