Kinetics-Controlled Crystallization Unlocking Eu-Doped Barium Silicate Glass Ceramic for Efficient X-Ray Scintillation.

Developing efficient scintillators is crucial for advancing radiation detection. Glass ceramics (GCs) offer promise by combining processability with enhanced luminescence, but crystallizing phases with optimal scintillation properties remain challenging. Herein, a kinetics-controlled in situ crystallization strategy is presented to selectively precipitate high-performance BaSiO:Eu crystals within a barium silicate glass. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal crystal-like topological configurations in the glass that facilitate BaSiO nucleation. Remarkably, the resulting GC exhibits outstanding X-ray scintillation: a high light yield of 8053 photons MeV (comparable to commercial BiGeO), an ultra-low detectable X-ray dose rate of 115.6 nGy s, and enables high-spatial-resolution imaging (7 lp mm). This performance stems from the efficient green emission (PLQY = 61.89%) of Euwithin the confined crystalline environment and the material's excellent radiation attenuation. This work demonstrates how precise crystallization control unlocks high-performance GC scintillators for demanding radiation detection applications.