Single-Crystalline Perovskite Nanowire Arrays for Stable X-ray Scintillators with Micrometer Spatial Resolution

X-ray scintillation detectors based on metal halide perovskites have shown excellent light yield, but they mostly target applications with spatial resolution at the tens of micrometers level. Here, we use a one-step solution method to grow arrays of 15-mu m-long single-crystalline CsPbBr3 nanowires (NWs) in an AAO (anodized aluminum oxide) membrane template, with nanowire diameters ranging from 30 to 360 nm. The CsPbBr3 nanowires in AAO (CsPbBr3 NW/AAO) show increasing X-ray scintillation efficiency with decreasing nanowire diameter, with a maximum photon yield of similar to 5 300 ph/MeV at 30 nm diameter. The CsPbBr3 NW/AAO composites also display high radiation resistance, with a scintillation-intensity decrease of only similar to 20-30% after 24 h of X-ray exposure (integrated dose 162 Gy(air)) and almost no change after ambient storage for 2 months. X-ray images can distinguish line pairs with a spacing of 2 mu m for all nanowire diameters, while slanted edge measurements show a spatial resolution of similar to 160 lp/mm at modulation transfer function (MTF) = 0.1. The combination of high spatial resolution, radiation stability, and easy fabrication makes these CsPbBr3 NW/AAO scintillators a promising candidate for high-resolution X-ray imaging applications.

Automated summary

X-ray scintillation detectors based on metal halide perovskites have shown excellent light yield, with CsPbBr3 nanowires displaying increasing efficiency and high radiation resistance. The combination of high spatial resolution, radiation stability, and easy fabrication of these CsPbBr3 NW/AAO scintillators makes them promising for high-resolution X-ray imaging applications.