Sb-enhanced Cs3Cu2I5 scintillators for ionizing radiation detection†

In recent years, low-dimensional metal halides have emerged as promising, optoelectronic materials. In particular, low dimensional Cu(I)-based perovskite halides have broad prospects in X-ray and gamma ray detection applications. However, conventional scintillators based on perovskites are still suffering from phase segregation, low yield, and toxicity issues. In this work, we introduced an organometallic Sb compound to enhance the scintillation properties of inorganic perovskite Cs₃Cu₂I₅@PMMA via an in situ doping strategy. Cs₃Cu₂I₅:Sb@PMMA scintillators possess a high attenuation coefficient of ionizing radiation, and the flexible films can meet the requirement of more complex imaging conditions. They also have high stability towards moisture and oxygen. Besides, the PMMA matrix enhances the stability of Cs₃Cu₂I₅:Sb@PMMA scintillators, resulting in remarkable radiation resistance even under continuous X-ray irradiation. The Sb-enhanced Cs₃Cu₂I₅:Sb@PMMA scintillators also resulted in improved light yield and exhibited excellent performance for X-ray imaging and single photon detection under ²⁴¹Am irradiation. The above results fully demonstrate the excellent application potential of Cs₃Cu₂I₅:Sb@PMMA for ionizing radiation detection and pave the great avenue of metal halide perovskites for commercialization.