Dramatically Enhanced X-ray Scintillation of BODIPY via Sensitization by an Organic Metal Halide

Abstract

X-ray scintillators based on organic chromophores have the potential to deliver low-cost radiation detection products with fast response signals. However, their relatively low performance compared with that of widely used inorganic scintillators in terms of X-ray attenuation and light output has limited their applications. Here we report a dramatically improved scintillation performance for a BODIPY dye, difluoro(4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-2-{1-[4-1,1-dimethylethyl)-3,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrrol-2-ylidene-N] ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-2-ylidene-N] ethyl}-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrolato-N) boron (PM 570), via sensitization by a 0D organic metal halide, tetraphenylphosphonium manganese bromide ((C24H20P)2MnBr4). By blending PM 570 and (C24H20P)2MnBr4 in an appropriate ratio together in a polydimethylsiloxane matrix, we prepare plastic scintillators to exhibit a more than 15-fold increment of radioluminescence from PM 570. Such an enhancement is attributed to the excellent X-ray scintillation property of (C24H20P)2MnBr4 and the efficient energy transfer from (C24H20P)2MnBr4 to PM 570. These multicomponent plastic scintillators also exhibit an excellent linear response to the X-ray dose rate and a low detection limit of 22.5 nGy s–1.