Scintillating multimodal materials and quantum heterostructures.

We will design, fabricate and optimize scintillating nanoscale materials pursued by current interdisciplinary research interests. They will involve multimodal materials for biomedical applications and quantum heterostructures for ultrafast detection systems needed especially in medical imaging. Multimodal materials represent nanocomposites combining several modalities, such as smart delivery, therapy and diagnostics. These will be based on highly scintillating core coated by SiO2 shell. Surface engineering of additional outer shells will provide different, even combined modalities together with biocompatibility, vital for biomedical applications. Quantum heterostructures will be based on ultrafast scintillating nanoparticles, such as lead halide perovskites or ZnO, with high potential to serve as time taggers for ultrafast timing applications. They will be combined with the bulk material providing high stopping power for ionizing radiation. Regarding the fast timing requirement, particularly the speed of scintillation response and scintillation yield will be monitored.