Transparent Composite for Cooperative Near-infrared and X-ray Imaging

Abstract

The advancement of imaging technology has significantly contributed to the progress in medical diagnosis and treatment, biomedical science, and various other fields. However, the visualization of comprehensive information on the imaged target remains a great challenge, especially for the complex biological system. Herein, it is proposed that the Cr³⁺-doped transparent glass composite with near-infrared (NIR) activity may gift a new possibility for achieving cooperative imaging. It presents remarkable photoluminescence (PL) and radioluminescence (RL) response in the NIR region, with ultra-broadband tunable luminescence (full-width half-maximum from 47 to 263 nm), excellent external quantum efficiency (>50%), and robust RL thermal quenching resistance (83.85%@150 °C). Benefiting from these distinctive features, NIR imaging and high-resolution X-ray imaging with a spatial resolution exceeding 19 lp mm⁻¹ are successfully realized. Furthermore, a cooperative imaging device is developed and its practical applications for simultaneously visualizing bone and blood vessels in biological targets are demonstrated. These findings represent a significant advancement in the field of NIR active photonic materials for cutting-edge imaging technology.