Scintillator Ink with Low‐Temperature Thermoplastic for Micro X‐Ray Imaging

Abstract Ultrahigh‐resolution X‐ray detection has always been a goal pursued in industrial inspection and medical diagnosis. However, the resolution of the corresponding image generally suffers from serious light scattering and crosstalk. Here, a low‐temperature thermoplastic scintillator ink of [Bmmim]₂MnCl₄ (Bmmim = 1‐butyl‐2,3‐dimethylimidazolium) is designed, achieving an astonishing spatial resolution of over 22 lp mm⁻¹ (≥22.5 µm). A customized X‐ray imaging can be realized with the as‐explored [Bmmim]₂MnCl₄ scintillator to the targets through brushing feasibly exhibiting a high adhesion and processability thanks to the superior rheological properties. It is demonstrated that the coordination number determines the melting point of the corresponding scintillator, and an appropriate melting point (323 K) endows a superior viscosity of the sample as print ink. Accordingly, the as‐explored scintillator not only exhibits a high light output with 3.63 times of the commercial Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (10 000 photons MeV⁻¹) under steady‐state X‐ray illumination but also performs excellent recyclability even after 100 re‐uses. This work brings a new perspective for solving the problems of light scattering and light crosstalk for X‐ray imaging, as well as promoting the development of scintillator ink for recycling utilization.