Gleaming Uranium: An Emerging Emitter for Building X-ray Scintillators.

Scintillators are a unique class of luminescent materials with specific applications towards radiation detection. The emitters within state-of-the-art scintillators are mostly limited to bismuth, cerium, europium, thallium, lead, tungsten, etc. A shared feature of these elements is the relatively high atomic number, which is responsible for high radiation stopping power and radiation-induced luminescence. Searching for new scintillating materials is an essential target aiming at specific applications. In this Concept article, we will discuss our recent works on the topic of "uranyl-bearing scintillators". As a virgin territory in this field, uranyl-bearing scintillators show intrinsic merits for designing new materials with X-ray detection capability, that is, the large photoelectric cross-section, high X-ray attenuation efficiency, and high crystal density. In addition, we also present challenges in the further development of the uranyl-bearing scintillators.