Micrometer-Resolution X-ray Imaging Enabled by a Flexible Perovskite Screen

Spatial resolution improvement has been keenly sought recently in the perovskite-based scintillation community. Here, micrometer resolution (∼2.0 μm) was achieved by using an X-ray imaging screen of self-assembled perovskite nanosheets. The assembly behavior of nanosheets was applicable to many substrates, including glass, metal, and polymer surfaces. The use of a polymer substrate not only eliminated the parasite absorption of X-ray but also enabled a flexible screen with robust bending stability. The assembly behavior, on the other hand, provided vicinity for an efficient energy transfer between nanosheets of varied thicknesses, as evidenced by both transient absorption and photoluminescence lifetime measurements. Importantly, the ensuing large Stokes shift (∼316 meV) significantly mitigated the reabsorption issue, leading to a comparable light yield to LYSO/Ce crystals. With the aid of the synchrotron-based collimated X-ray beam, the fine structure of two-dimensional objects, such as microchips, was clearly visualized with the flexible scintillation screen. Furthermore, those challenging biological samples were also scanned by phase-contrast imaging, whereby a three-dimensional reconstruction was obtained successfully. Despite the labile nature of the perovskite screen, this work represents the state-of-the-art spatial resolution for perovskite scintillation.