Solution-processed hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites are potential for next generation X-ray imaging applications. Here, we discuss the effect of Pb replacement with Cu and Sn on the optical and...

Scintillators fabricated from organic–inorganic layered perovskites have attracted wide attention due to their excellent properties, including fast decay times, superior light yield, and high exciton binding energy. In relation to their optoelectronic properties, hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites are known for their tunability, which could be manipulated by modifying the organic cations. In this study, we investigate the optical and scintillation properties of lead halide perovskites A2PbBr4, where A vary from amylammonium (AA), hexylammonium (HA), octylammonium (OA), and benzylammonium (BZA) organic ligands. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra display dual peaks due to surface and bulk trap states contributions, while fast average decay times from time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) for all samples are within the range of 0.69 ± 0.11–0.99 ± 0.13 ns. The optical band gap of these hybrid perovskites is within ∼3 eV range, which fulfill the criteria of promising scintillators. Radioluminescence (RL) spectra show negative thermal quenching behavior (NTQ) in all samples, with the AA2PbBr4 peak intensity appearing at relatively lower temperature compared to other samples. Thermoluminescence (TL) measurement reveals trap-free states in AA2PbBr4, while other samples possess shallow traps (<40 meV) as well as low trap density, which is beneficial for fast-decay scintillators, X-ray detection and energy conversion for solar cells. Overall, our results demonstrate that the extension of linear organic chains in lead-based perovskite is a deterministic strategy for a fast response hybrid-based scintillator to date.

CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) have recently gained much interest due to their excellent optical and scintillation properties and their potential for X-ray imaging applications. In this study, we blended CsPbBr3 QDs with resin at different QD concentrations to achieve thick films and to protect the CsPbBr3 QDs from environmental moisture. Then, their scintillation properties are investigated and compared to the traditional commercial scintillators, CsI:Tl microcolumns, and Gadox layers. The CsPbBr3 QD-resin sheets show a high light yield of up to 21 500 photons/MeV at room temperature and a relatively small variation in light yield across a wide temperature range. In addition, the CsPbBr3 QD-resin sheets feature a small scintillation afterglow. The CsPbBr3 QD-resin sheets show a negligible trap density for the concentration below 50% weight, indicating that traps might arise from the aggregation of the QDs. The CsPbBr3 QD-resin sheets are also very stable at low irradiation intensities and relatively stable at higher intensities, with higher CsPbBr3 QD concentrations being more stable. Gamma-ray-excited-time-resolved emission measurements at 662 keV showed that the CsPbBr3 QD-resin sheets have an average scintillation decay time between 108 and 176 ns, which are still 10 000 and 6000 times faster than CsI:Tl and Gadox, respectively. Imaging tests show that the CsPbBr3 QD-resin sheets have a mean transfer function of 50% at 2 lp/mm and 20% at 4 lp/mm, comparable to that of commercial Gadox layers. This feature makes CsPbBr3 QD-resin sheets a good candidate for the low-cost, flexible X-ray imaging screens and γ-ray applications.