# Bright and durable scintillation from colloidal quantum shells

## TL;DR

Quantum shell heterostructures offer efficient, fast, and durable scintillation for X-ray detection and imaging.

## Contribution

Colloidal quantum shells enable bright, fast, and durable scintillation without afterglow.

## Key findings

- Quantum shells achieve light yields up to 70,000 photons MeV−1 with long Auger-Meitner lifetimes.
- Radioluminescence has lifetimes of 2.5 ns and sub-100 ps rise times, with no afterglow.
- X-ray imaging using quantum shells reaches spatial resolution of 28 line pairs per millimeter.

## Abstract

Efficient, fast, and robust scintillators for ionizing radiation detection are crucial in various fields, including medical diagnostics, defense, and particle physics. However, traditional scintillator technologies face challenges in simultaneously achieving optimal performance and high-speed operation. Herein we introduce colloidal quantum shell heterostructures as X-ray and electron scintillators, combining efficiency, speed, and durability. Quantum shells exhibit light yields up to 70,000 photons MeV−1 at room temperature, enabled by their high multiexciton radiative efficiency thanks to long Auger-Meitner lifetimes (>10 ns). Radioluminescence is fast, with lifetimes of 2.5 ns and sub-100 ps rise times. Additionally, quantum shells do not exhibit afterglow and maintain stable scintillation even under high X-ray doses (>109 Gy). Furthermore, we showcase quantum shells for X-ray imaging achieving a spatial resolution as high as 28 line pairs per millimeter. Overall, efficient, fast, and durable scintillation make quantum shells appealing in applications ranging from ultrafast radiation detection to high-resolution imaging.

Traditional scintillators face challenges in achieving fast response and avoiding afterglow. Guzelturk et al. report colloidal quantum shell heterostructures with bright multiexciton emission, enabling efficient, fast, and robust scintillation for high-resolution and high-speed X-ray imaging.