Ran Peng, Yang Lurong, Hui Juan, Su Yirong, Chen Zeng, Zhu Haiming, Kuang Cuifang, Liu Xu, Michael Yang Yang
State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Photonic Sensing & Intelligent Imaging, Intelligent Optics & Photonics Research Center, Jiaxing Research Institute of Zhejiang University, 314000, Jiaxing, China.
Light Sci Appl. 2025 Sep 11;14(1):315. doi: 10.1038/s41377-025-01898-8.
X-ray and near-infrared (NIR) imaging are two well-established noninvasive imaging techniques, whose fusion often delineates a more complementary view of the subject. In this study, we introduce an innovative dual-mode imaging approach using a NIR scintillator, functioning both as a conventional scintillator for X-ray imaging and as a light source for NIR imaging. Our method facilitates the concurrent acquisition and registration of X-ray and NIR images in a single X-ray shot, eliminating the need for additional hardware beyond that of a standard X-ray imaging system. We have successfully synthesized an ytterbium-doped perovskite NIR scintillator using a water-based scalable process, which exhibits a pronounced scintillation emission at 980 nm, suggesting the presence of a potential quantum cutting effect. The experimental results underscore the enhanced capabilities in visualizing features typically elusive in standard X-ray images, such as the vascular network in a human palm. Besides, our method can effectively separate the X-ray and NIR signals, which is a common issue with recently developed multi-band detectors that suffer from superimposed electrical signals. This separation is achieved by designing a NIR-Visible dual-band scintillator that channels the X-ray and NIR characteristics into distinct emission pathways, thus avoiding any potential interference between the two imaging modalities. This study presents a novel strategy for harnessing the synergistic information from X-ray and NIR photons, enabled by the simple yet effective design of a NIR X-ray scintillator. This advancement might hold the potential to broaden the application scope of conventional X-ray imaging, enhancing its diagnostic and analytical capabilities.
X射线和近红外（NIR）成像是两种成熟的非侵入性成像技术，它们的融合通常能描绘出更具互补性的对象视图。在本研究中，我们引入了一种创新的双模式成像方法，使用近红外闪烁体，它既作为传统的X射线成像闪烁体，又作为近红外成像的光源。我们的方法有助于在单次X射线拍摄中同时采集和配准X射线和近红外图像，除了标准X射线成像系统所需的硬件外，无需额外硬件。我们已经成功地使用水基可扩展工艺合成了一种掺镱钙钛矿近红外闪烁体，它在980nm处表现出明显的闪烁发射，表明存在潜在的量子切割效应。实验结果强调了在可视化标准X射线图像中通常难以捉摸的特征方面的增强能力，例如人类手掌中的血管网络。此外，我们的方法可以有效分离X射线和近红外信号，这是最近开发的多波段探测器面临的一个常见问题，这些探测器存在叠加电信号的问题。这种分离是通过设计一种近红外-可见光双波段闪烁体来实现的，该闪烁体将X射线和近红外特性引导到不同的发射路径，从而避免两种成像模式之间的任何潜在干扰。本研究提出了一种利用X射线和近红外光子协同信息的新策略，这是通过近红外X射线闪烁体简单而有效的设计实现的。这一进展可能有潜力拓宽传统X射线成像的应用范围，增强其诊断和分析能力。
