Transparent glassy composites incorporating lead-free anti-perovskite halide nanocrystals enable tunable emission and ultrastable X-ray imaging

Lead halide perovskite materials exhibit excellent scintillation performance, which, however, suffer from serious stability and toxicity problems. In contrast, the heavy metal-free anti-perovskite materials [ MX4 ] XA3 (A = alkali metal; M = transition metal; X = Cl, Br, I), a class of electron-inverted perovskite derivatives, exhibit robust structural and photophysical stability. Here, we design and prepare a lead-free [ MnBr4 ] BrCs3 anti-perovskite nanocrystal (NC)-embedded glass for efficient X-ray-excited luminescence with high-resolution X-ray imaging with a spatial resolution of 19.1 lp mm( - 1). Due to the unique crystal structure and the protection of the glass matrix, the Cs3MnBr5 NC-embedded glass exhibits excellent X-ray irradiation stability, thermal stability, and water resistance. These merits enable the demonstration of real-time and durable X-ray radiography based on the developed glassy composite. This work could stimulate the research and development of novel metal halide anti-perovskite materials and open a new path for future development in the field of high-resolution and ultrastable X-ray imaging.