Giant Scintillation Yield Enhancement in Zero-Dimensional Halides by Exciton Confinement Manipulation

Yujie Wang; Xuemin Wen; Hongliang Shi; Eva Mihóková; Romana Kucerkova; Vladimir Babin; Jinlong Zhu; Jiawen Xiao; Martin Nikl; Xiaoping OuYang; Yuntao Wu

doi:10.34133/research.1230

Giant Scintillation Yield Enhancement in Zero-Dimensional Halides by Exciton Confinement Manipulation

Yujie Wang
, Xuemin Wen
, Hongliang Shi
, Eva Mihóková
, Romana Kucerkova
, Vladimir Babin
, Jinlong Zhu
, Jiawen Xiao
, Martin Nikl^*
, Xiaoping OuYang^*
, Yuntao Wu^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Physics

Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shanghai University
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Czech Academy of Sciences
Beijing University of Technology
Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Low-dimensional halides (LDHs) with self-trapped exciton (STE) emission are promising materials for scintillation applications. Nonetheless, for almost all LDHs, the measured scintillation yield is still far below theoretical value due to severe exciton–exciton/exciton–defect interaction under ionizing radiation, despite high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, we reported a substantial enhancement of scintillation yield in zero-dimensional (0D) Cs₃YCl₆ by structural modulation. By copper(I) alloying in Cs₃YCl₆, the delocalized excitons in [YCl₆]³⁻ octahedra convert to strongly localized excitons within [Cu₂(YCl₆)₃]⁷⁻ clusters in (Cs₈Cu)Y₃Cl₁₈, as confirmed by first-principles calculations. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy and kinetic results reveal a higher energy barrier for STE quenching in (Cs₈Cu)Y₃Cl₁₈ than in Cs₃YCl₆. Benefiting from the enhanced exciton confinement effect, (Cs₈Cu)Y₃Cl₁₈ exhibits a 460% enhancement in the STE-related scintillation yield. This work opens up a new strategy to enhance scintillation yield in LDHs under ionizing radiation excitation.

Original language	English
Article number	1230
Journal	Research
Volume	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.34133/research.1230
State	Published - Jan 2026

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@article{005da6020a1745b58f5b34a4e80264e9,

title = "Giant Scintillation Yield Enhancement in Zero-Dimensional Halides by Exciton Confinement Manipulation",

abstract = "Low-dimensional halides (LDHs) with self-trapped exciton (STE) emission are promising materials for scintillation applications. Nonetheless, for almost all LDHs, the measured scintillation yield is still far below theoretical value due to severe exciton–exciton/exciton–defect interaction under ionizing radiation, despite high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, we reported a substantial enhancement of scintillation yield in zero-dimensional (0D) Cs3YCl6 by structural modulation. By copper(I) alloying in Cs3YCl6, the delocalized excitons in [YCl6]3− octahedra convert to strongly localized excitons within [Cu2(YCl6)3]7− clusters in (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18, as confirmed by first-principles calculations. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy and kinetic results reveal a higher energy barrier for STE quenching in (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18 than in Cs3YCl6. Benefiting from the enhanced exciton confinement effect, (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18 exhibits a 460\% enhancement in the STE-related scintillation yield. This work opens up a new strategy to enhance scintillation yield in LDHs under ionizing radiation excitation.",

author = "Yujie Wang and Xuemin Wen and Hongliang Shi and Eva Mih{\'o}kov{\'a} and Romana Kucerkova and Vladimir Babin and Jinlong Zhu and Jiawen Xiao and Martin Nikl and Xiaoping OuYang and Yuntao Wu",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2026 Yujie Wang et al.",

year = "2026",

month = jan,

doi = "10.34133/research.1230",

language = "英语",

volume = "9",

journal = "Research",

issn = "2096-5168",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Giant Scintillation Yield Enhancement in Zero-Dimensional Halides by Exciton Confinement Manipulation

AU - Wang, Yujie

AU - Wen, Xuemin

AU - Shi, Hongliang

AU - Mihóková, Eva

AU - Kucerkova, Romana

AU - Babin, Vladimir

AU - Zhu, Jinlong

AU - Xiao, Jiawen

AU - Nikl, Martin

AU - OuYang, Xiaoping

AU - Wu, Yuntao

PY - 2026/1

Y1 - 2026/1

N2 - Low-dimensional halides (LDHs) with self-trapped exciton (STE) emission are promising materials for scintillation applications. Nonetheless, for almost all LDHs, the measured scintillation yield is still far below theoretical value due to severe exciton–exciton/exciton–defect interaction under ionizing radiation, despite high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, we reported a substantial enhancement of scintillation yield in zero-dimensional (0D) Cs3YCl6 by structural modulation. By copper(I) alloying in Cs3YCl6, the delocalized excitons in [YCl6]3− octahedra convert to strongly localized excitons within [Cu2(YCl6)3]7− clusters in (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18, as confirmed by first-principles calculations. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy and kinetic results reveal a higher energy barrier for STE quenching in (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18 than in Cs3YCl6. Benefiting from the enhanced exciton confinement effect, (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18 exhibits a 460% enhancement in the STE-related scintillation yield. This work opens up a new strategy to enhance scintillation yield in LDHs under ionizing radiation excitation.

AB - Low-dimensional halides (LDHs) with self-trapped exciton (STE) emission are promising materials for scintillation applications. Nonetheless, for almost all LDHs, the measured scintillation yield is still far below theoretical value due to severe exciton–exciton/exciton–defect interaction under ionizing radiation, despite high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, we reported a substantial enhancement of scintillation yield in zero-dimensional (0D) Cs3YCl6 by structural modulation. By copper(I) alloying in Cs3YCl6, the delocalized excitons in [YCl6]3− octahedra convert to strongly localized excitons within [Cu2(YCl6)3]7− clusters in (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18, as confirmed by first-principles calculations. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy and kinetic results reveal a higher energy barrier for STE quenching in (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18 than in Cs3YCl6. Benefiting from the enhanced exciton confinement effect, (Cs8Cu)Y3Cl18 exhibits a 460% enhancement in the STE-related scintillation yield. This work opens up a new strategy to enhance scintillation yield in LDHs under ionizing radiation excitation.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105035749129

U2 - 10.34133/research.1230

DO - 10.34133/research.1230

M3 - 文章

AN - SCOPUS:105035749129

SN - 2096-5168

VL - 9

JO - Research

JF - Research

M1 - 1230

ER -

Giant Scintillation Yield Enhancement in Zero-Dimensional Halides by Exciton Confinement Manipulation

Abstract

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