Hybrid Copper(I) Iodide Scintillators: From Molecular Architecture to X‐Ray Imaging Applications

ABSTRACT Radiation detection has been developed as a powerful imaging technology with wide applications in medical diagnostics, non‐destructive testing, and astronomy. Metal halide hybrids have emerged as promising scintillators owing to their facile synthesis, rich structural diversity, and superior scintillation performance, which effectively address the limitations of conventional inorganic scintillators including complex fabrication, radioluminescence afterglow, and mechanical rigidity. Notably, copper(I) iodide hybrids, benefiting from unique coordination modes, tunable radioluminescence property, good stability, and processability, have achieved rapid progress, demonstrating significant potential for high‐performance scintillators. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in hybrid copper iodide scintillators from the perspective of molecular architecture and scintillation properties. The scintillation mechanism and key parameters for scintillators are first elucidated to highlight the essential prerequisites for high‐performance scintillators. Subsequently, copper iodide hybrids are categorized according to their connection modes and inorganic motifs, with a detailed discussion of their characteristics and recent advances. Particular attention is devoted to emphasizing the synthetic procedure, luminescence mechanism, and scintillation properties of the scintillators featuring different structural types, aiming to inspire the identification of structures with promising scintillation properties. Finally, we highlight prevailing challenges and propose future opportunities for the advancement of high‐performance scintillators tailored to specific applications.