Storage and encryption of submicron spatial resolution X-ray images based on Ag-doped phosphate glass

Abstract

The ultrastable encrypted storage of X-ray image with quantitative and ultrahigh-spatial resolution are crucial for a wide range of applications in radiation imaging, and it can be achieved by using the radio-photoluminescence (RPL) material, Ag-doped phosphate glass (Ag-PG), which was fabricated via the melt-quenching method. Under X-ray irradiation, Ag-PG produces a luminescence center, obvious 650 nm emission peak, which can be repeatedly excited by ultraviolet light without intensity attenuation. Quantitative X-ray image storage was realized based on the linear relationship between RPL intensity and X-ray irradiation time. X-ray image with a submicron spatial resolution of 0.7 µm was achieved, which could be stably stored without attenuation for more than 300 days. This submicron level X-ray image can be written into the Ag-PG as an encrypted information, and can only be visualized by an ultraviolet light. Additionally, heat treatment (400 °C for 2 h) could eliminate the influence of X-ray radiation on the Ag-PG, and restore the state of the Ag-PG before X-ray irradiation, which allows the recyclability and reusability of the Ag-PG. This research is of great significance for promoting the encrypted storage of X-ray images based on Ag-PG or other RPL materials.