Wear "high-definition glasses" on fast neutron rays to make them see more clearly. Reporters learned from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the 22nd that researchers from the Institute and other units have developed a new type of transparent glass material. This material can significantly improve the clarity of fast neutron imaging, reaching the world's highest level currently reported, thus bringing revolutionary improvements to the "physical examination" technology for large-scale equipment. The relevant research results were published in the journal Nature Communications. Fast neutron rays have high energy and particularly strong penetration, making them a powerful tool for exploring the internal structure and hidden defects of large equipment such as aircraft engines and aerospace components. However, the clarity of the "photos" it takes is not enough, just like looking at things through frosted glass, which seriously restricts the application of this technology in key fields such as industrial non-destructive testing. In this latest study, researchers have taken a different approach by synthesizing a composite metal halide glass scintillation screen using a one-step solvent-free melting quenching method. This glass material has increased the spatial resolution of fast neutron imaging to the highest reported value currently. Meanwhile, this material has a transparency of over 70% in the visible light range and a luminous efficiency of over 85%. At the same thickness, its brightness is three times that of traditional commercial scintillation screens. In addition to excellent performance, the preparation process of this new material is also highly advantageous. It is easy to grow, has an adjustable shape, and the material itself has good toughness and is more durable. This achievement has broken through the bottleneck of fast neutron imaging clarity, and it is like equipping a pair of 'high-definition glasses' for fast neutron rays. ”Sun Chenghua, the corresponding author of the paper and a researcher at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that this has significantly improved the applicability of fast neutron imaging, and will greatly promote the application of this technology in nondestructive testing of large equipment and other fields. (New Society)