Lutetium yttrium silicate (LYSO) crystal has a wide range of applications and the competitiveness of domestic enterprises has increased

Lutetium yttrium silicate (LYSO) crystal is a new scintillator with excellent performance. Yttrium lutetium silicate crystal has the characteristics of high density, high light output, short decay time, high light yield, and high energy resolution. Gamma-ray detectors made from this crystal are widely used in nuclear medicine imaging, industrial non-destructive testing, oil exploration, etc. It has broad application prospects in environmental inspection, safety inspection, high-energy nuclear physics, high-end laser equipment and other fields.

Scintillation crystal refers to a crystal material that can convert kinetic energy into light energy and emit fluorescence of a certain wavelength when x-rays, gamma rays or radioactive particles pass through. Up to now, my country’s scintillation crystal has a development history of more than 60 years, and its application has penetrated into all aspects of the national economy. With the deepening of research, the types of scintillation crystals have become increasingly abundant. Yttrium lutetium silicate crystals were discovered around 2000. They are currently widely used in the field of nuclear medicine imaging, especially in positron emission computed tomography (PET) and positron emission X-rays. Tomography (PET-CT).

In order to promote the standardized development of the yttrium-lutetium silicate crystal industry and promote its application, the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences took the lead in formulating the “Cerium-doped Ytttrium-Lutetium Silicate Scintillation Crystal” and “Yttrium-Lutetium Silicate Scintillation Crystal Array” and other Group standards program for yttrium lutetium silicate scintillation crystals. Yttrium lutetium silicate is the first batch of national new materials strategic materials. Driven by policy support and technological progress, the monopoly of my country’s yttrium lutetium silicate crystals by foreign companies has been broken.

According to the “2022-2027 China’s yttrium lutetium silicate (LYSO) crystal industry market in-depth research and development prospect forecast report》shows that the growth of yttrium lutetium silicate crystals is difficult and costly, resulting in a high concentration of the yttrium lutetium silicate crystal market. In the domestic market, the main companies related to yttrium lutetium silicate crystals include Boya New Materials, Chongqing Sound and Optoelectronics, Shanghai Yibo Crystal, Suzhou Jingte Crystal Technology, Shanghai Shuojie Crystal Materials, Chengdu Dongjun Laser, Harbin Tebo Technology, etc. Among them, Boya New Materials is the largest domestic supplier.

Boya New Materials is mainly engaged in the research and development, production and processing of scintillation crystal materials and laser crystal materials. It occupies more than 60% of the domestic yttrium lutetium silicate crystal market required for PET-CT, and occupies 30% of the foreign non-clinical PET-CT equipment crystal market. More than 90%. In recent years, Boya New Materials has received investment from a number of investment institutions. In 2022, Boya New Materials completed a Series D financing of over 400 million yuan. This financing was led by Fujian Venture Capital.

Industry analysts said that yttrium lutetium silicate crystal is the core material of PET and PET-CT equipment. In recent years, with the development of my country’s With the development of the medical industry, the market penetration rate of PET and PET-CT continues to increase, which provides broad space for the development of the yttrium-lutetium silicate crystal market. Driven by scientific and technological progress and policy support, my country has made certain achievements in the research and application of yttrium lutetium silicate crystals, and the product performance of some enterprises has reached the internationally advanced or leading level.