A Thermoplastic Organic Metal Halide Scintillator

X-ray imaging has been developed with widespread industrial applications, from medical diagnostics, security, and industrial inspection all the way to space exploration. Accordingly, enthusiasm for extensive research on scintillators has been steadily growing. However, obtaining scintillators with superior performance via feasible processing and minimizing the scattering of X-ray propagation between the scintillator screen and the imaging object, especially for targets with highly curved surfaces, are still challenges. Here, an organic metal halide scintillator [Bmmim]2SbCl5 (Bmmim = 1-butyl-2,3-methylimidazolium) is developed, which reveals a fascinating thermoplastic characteristic at 363 K. It allows the as-explored scintillator to be used as an adhesive paint, addressing the light scattering of X-ray imaging fundamentally. The rheological property is demonstrated to profit from the structural characteristic of [SbCl5]2– and organic groups directly connected by hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the exceptional processability of the corresponding scintillator further confirms its recycling capability in painting/scraping onto/from the targets. Notably, X-ray imaging with a high resolution (∼12.5 lp mm–1) is constantly achievable. Herein, these results not only figure out the light scattering of X-ray imaging for curved or irregularly shaped objects but also open a new avenue to the development of low-cost X-ray detectors and imagers with feasible processability.