Chiral Hybrid Cu(I) Halide Scintillation Films with Polarization‐Engineered Light Management for High‐Resolution X‐ray Imaging

S Shuai Zhang H Hao Wang (Division of Quantitative Sciences, Department of Oncology Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland USA) Y Yilan Wang K Kai Han (Key Laboratory of Medical Molecule Science and Pharmaceutics Engineering, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Center for Quantum Technology Research and School of Physics) Z Zhiguo Xia (State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Laser Materials and Applied Techniques, School of Physics and Optoelectronics)

Abstract

Abstract Scintillators are typically based on achiral structures, where the emitted light propagates isotropically, resulting in significant optical crosstalk and reduced image fidelity in X‐ray imaging. In this study, we design the synthesis of a pair of chiral hybrid Cu(I) halide scintillators, R‐2‐MePiCuI and S‐2‐MePiCuI (R/S‐2‐MePi = R/S‐2‐methylpiperazine), exhibiting near‐unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 99.08% ± 0.21% and 98.38% ± 0.19%, respectively, along with distinct circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and dissymmetry factors ( g lum ) of + 0.82 × 10 −2 and −0.67 × 10 −2 . Furthermore, high‐quality chiral Cu(I) halide thin films have been fabricated using a multi‐source vacuum deposition (MSVD) technique, enabling dense and uniform scintillating layers. A polarized system is developed by combining the chiral thin film scintillator with polarization optics, enabling directional radioluminescence propagation and suppressing optical crosstalk. The resulting device achieves a high spatial resolution of 20 lp mm −1 and an ultralow detection limit of 99.22 nGy s −1 . These findings establish chiral hybrid Cu(I) halides as promising candidates for high‐resolution X‐ray imaging with synergetic light management.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 64, Issue 46
Published November 10, 2025
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (5)

S

Shuai Zhang

H

Hao Wang

Division of Quantitative Sciences, Department of Oncology Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland USA

Y

Yilan Wang

K

Kai Han

Key Laboratory of Medical Molecule Science and Pharmaceutics Engineering, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Center for Quantum Technology Research and School of Physics

Z

Zhiguo Xia

State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Laser Materials and Applied Techniques, School of Physics and Optoelectronics