Single-shot X-ray and near-infrared (NIR) dual-mode fusion imaging based on bifunctional NIR scintillators

Peng Ran; Lurong Yang; Juan Hui; Yirong Su; Zeng Chen; Haiming Zhu; Cuifang Kuang; Xu Liu; Yang (Michael) Yang

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-01898-8

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Single-shot X-ray and near-infrared (NIR) dual-mode fusion imaging based on bifunctional NIR scintillators

Original Articles

- Single-shot X-ray and near-infrared (NIR) dual-mode fusion imaging based on bifunctional NIR scintillators
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 14, Issue 11, Pages: 3462-3470(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
  2.Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Photonic Sensing & Intelligent Imaging, Intelligent Optics & Photonics Research Center, Jiaxing Research Institute of Zhejiang University, 314000 Jiaxing, China
  3.Key Laboratory of Excited State Materials of Zhejiang Province, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, 310027 Hangzhou, China
- Author bio：
  
  Xu Liu (liuxu@zju.edu.cn)
  Yang (Michael) Yang (yangyang15@zju.edu.cn)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-01898-8
  CLC：
- Received：12 January 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-04-27，
  
  Accepted：21 May 2025，
  
  Published Online：11 September 2025，
  
  Published：30 November 2025
- Accepted：
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Ran, P. et al. Single-shot X-ray and near-infrared (NIR) dual-mode fusion imaging based on bifunctional NIR scintillators. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 3462-3470 (2025).
DOI：

Ran, P. et al. Single-shot X-ray and near-infrared (NIR) dual-mode fusion imaging based on bifunctional NIR scintillators. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 3462-3470 (2025). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-01898-8.

摘要

Abstract

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.

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Keywords

references

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