Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite scintillators for mixed field radiation detection

Abstract

Sensitive and fast detection of neutrons and gamma rays is vital for homeland security, high-energy physics, and proton therapy. Fast-neutron detectors rely on light organic scintillators, and γ-ray detectors use heavy inorganic scintillators and semiconductors. Efficient mixed-field detection using a single material is highly challenging due to their contradictory requirements. Here we report hybrid perovskites (C8H12N)2Pb(Br1−xClx)4 that combine light organic cations and heavy inorganic skeletons at a molecular level to achieve unprecedented performance for mixed-field radiation detection. High neutron absorption due to a high density of hydrogen, strong radiative recombination within the highly confined [PbX6]4− layer, and sub-nanometer distance between absorption sites and radiative centers, enable a light yield of 41 000 photons/MeV, detection pulse width of 2.97 ns and extraordinary linearity response toward both fast neutrons and γ-rays, outperforming commonly used fast-neutron scintillators. Neutron energy spectrum, time-of-flight based fast-neutron/γ-ray discrimination and neutron yield monitoring were all successfully achieved using (C8H12N)2Pb(Br0.95Cl0.05)4 detectors. We further demonstrate the monitoring of reaction kinetics and total power of a nuclear fusion reaction. We envision that molecular hybridized scintillators open a new avenue for mixed-field radiation detection and imaging. (Figure presented.).