Superdense Ce3+-activated lutetium silicate scintillating glass for radiation detection

The scintillating photonic glass has the great potential for medicine imaging, nuclear physics, high-energy physics, and national defense. However, the development of the candidate with the high density remains a significant challenge. Herein, the superdense scintillating glasses derived from the Ce 3+ -activated Lu 2 O 3 -SiO 2 binary system were successfully fabricated by the strategy of contactless aerodynamic levitation heating under the N 2 atmosphere. These glasses are colorless, optical homogeneous, and exhibit superdense density from 6.59 to 7.15 g/cm 3 , representing the highest density among the fast decay glass systems. The materials present excellent radiation-blocking ability, suitable emission wavelength, and fast response, indicating the promise for fast-event X-ray detection. The micro radiation probe was fabricated by connecting the scintillating glass and the optical fiber. The practical application in remote radiation detection is demonstrated and it exhibits excellent linear response and high signal-to-noise ratio. The results confirm that the fabricated superdense scintillating glass is promising for application in the field of high-energy radiation detection.