Sensitive X-ray detection and imaging by a scintillating Lead(II)-based Metal-Organic framework

Scintillators that exhibit X-ray stimulated light response have attracted increasing attention for their wide application in medical diagnosis and treatment, security inspection, industrial flaw detection and other aspects. However, the broader application of traditional inorganic and organic scintillators has been limited by their high preparation cost or poor adaptability to changeable environments. Here, a scintillating 1D metal–organic framework (MOF) [Pb(adda)(DMF)]n 1 (H2adda = (2E,2′E)-3,3′-(anthracene-9,10-diyl) diacrylic acid, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) was prepared by a low-cost and short-cycle solvothermal process. Benefiting from the intrinsic synergistic effect of functional motifs and robust architecture, sensitive and steady X-ray response signals of 1 are demonstrated with an excellent linearity to the X-ray dose rates and stable light output under 9 h per day continuous irradiation during five days. In addition, the flexible MOF-based scintillator film is firstly applied in X-ray imaging application, which achieves a relatively high spatial resolution of 5.5 lp mm−1. This work provides an effective visualization tool for X-ray radiography and verifies the potential application of flexible MOF-based scintillator film for X-ray imaging.