Modulation of Properties in Ce3+-Doped High-Density Glass Scintillators via Gd2O3/GdF3 Ratios

Developments for high light yield and high density of Ce 3+ -doped glass scintillators are of fundamental importance for practical applications in fields of nuclear medical imaging and high-energy physics. Here, a series of Ce 3+ -doped glass scintillators was designed. The glasses exhibit broadband emissions around 380 nm, and the photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) reaches 78.63%. By adjusting the Gd 2 O 3 /GdF 3 ratios of the glasses, the properties such as density, light yield, and transmittance of glass scintillators are all modulated. The optimized glass GSG 3 (Gd 2 O 3 :GdF 3 = 1:1) exhibits superior performance, including a high density of 5.562 g/cm 3 , high transmittance of 93% at 400 nm, a high light yield of 2859 ph/MeV, and an energy resolution of 19.3%@662 keV. The X-ray imaging system utilizing a self-developed glass scintillator was employed to acquire clear images of objects such as metal springs and integrated circuit chips, and achieved a spatial resolution of 14 lp/mm. The designed glass provides a low-cost scintillator for potential applications in medical imaging and radiation detection. This study also offers a powerful solution to conquer the conventional contradictions of glass scintillators between density and light yield.