Sodium iodide crystal (NaI) is a common scintillator material with obvious performance advantages and disadvantages.

Sodium iodide, chemical formula NaI, is an inorganic compound that appears as colorless cubic crystals or white granular solids, odorless, and tastes salty and bitter. Sodium iodide crystal (NaI crystal) is an inorganic scintillator that can be used in the manufacturing of medical imaging equipment. It is mainly used in the manufacturing of CT detectors, the core component of CT equipment.

According to the “China Sodium Iodide Crystal (NaI) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center shows that sodium iodide crystals include pure sodium iodide crystals and thallium-doped sodium iodide crystals (NaI:Tl). Thallium-doped sodium iodide crystal has the characteristics of high density, high atomic number, high luminous efficiency, good Compton effect, good matching of luminous wavelength and photodiode, strong absorption ability of X-rays and γ-rays, and high energy resolution , is an X-ray and γ-ray detection scintillator with excellent performance. In addition to being used in the medical field, it can also be used in nuclear physics, petroleum exploration, geological exploration, industrial testing, environmental testing, safety inspection and other fields.

CT, electronic computed tomography, uses X-rays, gamma rays and detectors to perform tomographic scans of human body parts. The CT detector is one of its core components. The scintillator is a key component of the CT detector. Its function is to convert high-energy X-rays and γ-rays into low-energy visible light. It is indispensable. Sodium iodide crystal is the most common and widely used scintillator material.

my country’s independent production strength of CT equipment continues to increase, and the market localization rate continues to increase. In 2022, among the CT equipment sold in my country, the sales volume of domestic CT and imported CT will be close. Due to the obvious cost-effectiveness advantage of domestic CT equipment, the market penetration rate of CT equipment has been further promoted. Under this circumstance, the sales volume of CT equipment in my country has continued to grow. In 2022, my country’s CT sales will exceed 7,800 units, maintaining a continuous upward trend. Benefiting from this, my country’s sodium iodide crystal market space is growing.

But sodium iodide crystals also have disadvantages. Sodium iodide is easily soluble in water, has strong hygroscopicity, and can be oxidized by air. Therefore, sodium iodide crystals have shortcomings such as easy deliquescence, yellowing and deterioration, which affects its performance and service life. When sodium iodide crystal is used as a scintillator, it must be sealed and stored away from light. In some application fields, other scintillator materials with more stable performance and better overall performance may replace sodium iodide crystal.

Industry analysts said that the sodium iodide crystal production process has gradually matured, and the number of global production companies has gradually increased. In overseas markets, the main sodium iodide crystal manufacturers include Saint-Gobain Crystals of the United States, Hilger Crystals of the United Kingdom, and Amcrys of Ukraine. In the Chinese market, the main sodium iodide crystal manufacturers include Shanghai Shuojie Crystal Materials Co., Ltd. , Nanjing Jinheng Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., Qinhuangdao Intrinsic Crystal Technology Co., Ltd., etc.