Low-cost perovskite detects X-rays sensitively

Abstract

An inexpensive organic-inorganic combo material that can be prepared and processed via common solution-phase methods can detect X-rays more sensitively than standard costly detector materials (Sci. Adv. 2020, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay0815). The hybrid material, a butylamine–methylamine lead iodide perovskite, could improve safety in X-ray-based medical and security applications by lowering the radiation levels needed to acquire high-resolution images. Commercial X-ray detectors often rely upon high-purity crystals of silicon or other semiconductors grown via energy-intensive methods. Radiation induces electrical charges in the semiconductor, which these devices convert to measurable electrical signals under the influence of high voltage. Researchers including Hsinhan Tsai and Wanyi Nie of Los Alamos National Laboratory and colleagues there and at Argonne National Laboratory knew from their earlier studies that a family of layered perovskites—including the hybrid material—responded sensitively to X-rays and could be used to make devices that work in much the same way. But these materials can