Hybridized Local and Charge‐Transfer Emitter With a Dual‐Hindered Indoline Donor for Fast and Efficient Red Plastic Scintillators

Q Qiqi Xu H Hongying He Y Yiyan Guan (Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (KLOFE) & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM) Nanjing Tech University (Nanjing Tech) Nanjing China) G Guofeng Yi (State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...) R Run Yuan (State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...) C Chenggong Ma (Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Institute of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering) J Jie Cheng J Jiayong Shi (State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...) Y Ying Wang C Cheng‐Yun Wang (State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...) H Huili Ma (State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (LoFE) & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), School of Flexible Electronics (Future Technologies)) Y Yongzhen Wu (Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering) W Wei‐Hong Zhu (Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and Technology Shanghai China) W Weijun Zhao (Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Institute of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Flexible organic red/NIR scintillators that convert ionizing radiation into long‐wavelength photons are intrinsically compatible with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), offering strong potential for medical imaging and non‐destructive testing. However, their practical development is limited by inadequate radiation absorption, inefficient exciton utilization, and sluggish radioluminescence response. Herein, we report a fast and efficient red organic scintillator based on a hybridized local and charge‐transfer (HLCT) emitter featuring an ultra‐strong dual‐hindered indoline donor. The chair‐shaped indoline donor, incorporating a nonconjugated sterically hindered ring, effectively red‐shifts the radioluminescence to match SiPM sensitivity while affording a large Stokes shift and aggregation‐induced emission characteristics. The introduction of an additional bulky tert ‐butyl group further suppresses nonradiative decay and, unexpectedly, accelerates reverse intersystem crossing from high‐lying excited states, enabling intense radioluminescence with an ultrafast decay lifetime of 3.94 ns—among the fastest reported for red scintillators. The resulting scintillator, c ID‐Bt, achieves efficient triplet exciton harvesting and delivers a high light yield of 24231 photons MeV − 1 (1.8 times the commercial benchmark BC‐430), an ultralow detection limit of 168 nGy s − 1 and a resolution of 16.8 lp mm − 1 . Furthermore, c ID‐Bt–encapsulated plastic scintillators and scintillating fibers demonstrate potential for radiation detection and x‐ray imaging, establishing a viable strategy for next‐generation organic red/NIR scintillators.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 30
Published July 20, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (14)

Q

Qiqi Xu

H

Hongying He

Y

Yiyan Guan

Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (KLOFE) & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM) Nanjing Tech University (Nanjing Tech) Nanjing China

G

Guofeng Yi

State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...

R

Run Yuan

State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...

C

Chenggong Ma

Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Institute of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering

J

Jie Cheng

J

Jiayong Shi

State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...

Y

Ying Wang

C

Cheng‐Yun Wang

State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and...

H

Huili Ma

State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (LoFE) & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), School of Flexible Electronics (Future Technologies)

Y

Yongzhen Wu

Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering

W

Wei‐Hong Zhu

Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center Institute of Fine Chemicals Frontiers Science Center For Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering East China University of Science and Technology Shanghai China

W

Weijun Zhao

Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Institute of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering