近日，浙江大学刘旭团队研究了基于双功能近红外闪烁体的单次x射线和近红外双模融合成像。该研究于2025年9月11日发表在《光：科学与应用》杂志上。

X射线和近红外（NIR）成像是两种成熟的非侵入性成像技术，它们的融合往往描绘出对受试者更互补的视图。

研究组介绍了一种使用近红外闪烁体的创新双模成像方法，该闪烁体既可以作为X射线成像的传统闪烁体，也可以作为近红外成像的光源。该方法便于在一次X射线拍摄中同时采集和配准X射线和近红外图像，消除了对标准X射线成像系统之外的额外硬件的需求。使用水基可扩展工艺成功合成了掺镱钙钛矿近红外闪烁体，该闪烁体在980nm处表现出明显的闪烁发射，表明存在潜在的量子切割效应。实验结果强调了标准X射线图像中通常难以捕捉特征的可视化能力的增强，例如手掌中的血管网络。

此外，该方法可以有效地分离X射线和近红外信号，这是最近开发的多波段探测器的一个常见问题，这些探测器会受到叠加电信号的影响。这种分离是通过设计一种近红外-可见光双频闪烁体来实现的，该闪烁体将X射线和近红外特性引导到不同的发射路径中，从而避免了两种成像方式之间的任何潜在干扰。研究组提出了一种利用X射线和近红外光子协同信息的新策略，该策略通过简单有效的近红外X射线闪烁体设计实现。这一进步有望扩大传统X射线成像的应用范围，增强其诊断和分析能力。

附：英文原文

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

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

Issue&Volume: 2025-09-11

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 980nm, 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.

DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-01898-8

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-025-01898-8