Anchoring the AIEgen by Zr clusters in metal-organic gel for efficient X-ray detection and imaging

Developing materials capable of converting high-energy photons into visible (vis) or ultraviolet (UV) light serves as an effective approach for achieving X-ray detection and imaging. In this work, highly luminescent metal-organic gel (MOG), YTU-G-1, was obtained by self-assembling the aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen)-functionalized ligand and Zr oxo-hydroxy clusters via a mild solvothermal method. The dense and rigid MOG skeleton offers the opportunity to maximize the AIE effect, achieving near-unity quantum efficiency of 95.5%. Under X-ray irradiation, YTU-G-1 exhibits bright luminescence and can detect low-dose radiation down to 44 nGy s−1. The robust Zr–O bond imparts the material with excellent chemical and physical resistance, making it an ideal candidate for fabricating large-area flexible membranes. Consequently, the spatial imaging resolution of the flexible scintillating membrane reaches 20 lp mm−1. This work offers a general strategy for fabricating scintillators based on MOGs and facilitates the construction of flexible X-ray imaging membranes.