Enhanced luminescence, thermal stability, and scintillation performance in Zn ₂ SiO ₄ :Mn ²⁺ phosphors via lattice modification strategy based on Mg ²⁺ co-doping

Abstract Mn2+-based inorganic scintillation phosphors have attracted considerable attention due to their tunable optical properties, low toxicity and high luminescent efficiency. However, their practical applications commonly suffer from extreme thermal quenching. In this paper, a lattice modification strategy that introduces Mg2+ into Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ phosphors is proposed to improve the thermal stability and luminescence of Mn2+. The X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) intensity of Zn2SiO4:Mn2+,Mg2+ phosphors is 493% of that of Bi4Ge3O12 powders, and is enhanced by 2 times than that of Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ phosphors. The corresponding flexible film exhibits high spatial resolution of 20 lp/mm and excellent stability after immersion in H2O or CH3CH2OH for 10 days. Besides, the Zn2SiO4:Mn2+,Mg2+ phosphors present unique anti-thermal quenching luminescence. Its XEL intensity at 483 K is 126% of that at 303 K. Through thermoluminescence analysis, the anti-thermal quenching of Mn2+ can be explained by the fact that Mg2+ incorporation effectively reduces structural defects induced by Mn2+-Zn2+ substitution. This work confirms the scintillation potential of Zn2SiO4:Mn2+,Mg2+ phosphors, and offers a meaningful strategy for developing novel scintillators for advanced X-ray imaging applications.