Structure Design of Boroaluminate Glass Scintillators for High‐Resolution Real‐Time Dynamic and Time‐Lapse Imaging

Abstract

Real‐time and time‐lapse imaging have collectively driven the rapid advancement of indirect imaging technologies. However, integrating both functionalities into a single scintillator material to accommodate diverse application requirements remains a fundamental challenge. In this study, guided by the glass‐forming region and molecular dynamics simulations, a glass scintillator capable of both real‐time and time‐lapse imaging is successfully developed. Notably, the glass exhibits a transmittance of up to 80% in the visible‐light range and achieves an X‐ray spatial imaging resolution of 20 lp mm−1. In addition, owing to the strong absorption effect of heavy atoms in its composition, the scintillating glass demonstrates a relatively high light yield, reaching 125% of that of commercial Bi4Ge3O12 crystals. Benefiting from a suitable trap depth (≈0.74 eV) and the disordered structural units of the glass, trapped electrons can escape only at temperatures above ≈40 °C. Thus, by controlling the operating temperature of the scintillator, both imaging modes can be realized within a single scintillator material. Given its unique imaging properties, the designed glass scintillator is successfully applied to flat‐panel static imaging, remote dynamic imaging, and imaging of irregular objects. This study overcomes the single‐function limitation of traditional scintillator materials and introduces a highly customizable glass scintillator with significant application potential.