Abstract
HIGHLIGHTS: What are the main findings? Laser-induced in situ crystallization can directly convert hybrid manganese(II) bromide glass into crystalline pixel arrays. Starting from glassy (BuTPP)(2)MnBr(4), we used a femtosecond laser to achieve localized and controllable crystallization, through which the crystalline arrays can be structurally patterned inside the glass matrix rather than fabricated by conventional crystal-growth methods. The laser-written pixelated (BuTPP)(2)MnBr(4) arrays show improved luminescence and enable high-resolution X-ray imaging. Compared with the glassy state, the crystallized pixel arrays exhibit significantly enhanced photoluminescence, and they can be used for X-ray imaging with a spatial resolution of 10 lp mm(−1). What are the implications of the main findings? This work provides a new structural-engineering route for hybrid scintillators. Instead of only tuning chemical composition, it shows that local phase/structure control can be used to improve scintillation performance. This work opens a practical pathway toward customizable high-resolution scintillator devices. Because the pixel arrays are formed by direct laser-writing, this strategy could support programmable, integrated, and potentially scalable X-ray imaging devices based on hybrid metal-halide. ABSTRACT: Hybrid metal-halide scintillators are promising for X-ray imaging, but direct fabrication of patterned arrays with high spatial precision remains challenging. Here, we report a laser-induced in situ crystallization strategy for constructing pixelated scintillator arrays from a melt-processable manganese(II) bromide glass precursor, (BuTPP)(2)MnBr(4) (BuTPP(+), butyltriphenylphosphonium). The (BuTPP)(2)MnBr(4) undergoes low-temperature glass formation and can be selectively recrystallized under femtosecond laser irradiation, enabling programmable spatial patterning. Structural analyses confirm the recovery of the crystalline phase after laser writing, while photophysical measurements show markedly enhanced photoluminescence and radioluminescence compared with the glassy state. Benefiting from efficient X-ray-to-light conversion and precise array definition, the patterned scintillators exhibit a high light yield of 24,600 photons MeV(−1), an X-ray detection limit of 4.89 µGy(air) s(−1), and a spatial resolution of 10 lp mm(−1). This work establishes the laser-induced in situ crystallization strategy as an effective route to integrated hybrid scintillator arrays and offers a versatile platform for customizable and low-temperature processed X-ray imaging devices for imaging uses.