Surface Modified CsPbBr<sub>3</sub> Nanocrystals Enable Free Radical Thermal Polymerization of Efficient Ultrafast Polystyrenic Nanocomposite Scintillators
Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP-NCs) embedded in a plastic matrix are highly promising for a variety of photonic technologies and are quickly gaining attention as ultrafast, radiation-resistant nanoscintillators for radiation detection. However, advancements in LHP-NC-based photonics are hindered by their well-known thermal instability, which makes them unsuitable for industrial thermally activated mass polymerization processes, crucial for creating polystyrene-based scintillating nanocomposites. In this study, we address this challenge by presenting the first thermal nanocomposite scintillators made from CsPbBr3 NCs passivated with fluorinated ligands that remain attached to the particles surfaces even at high temperatures, enabling their integration into mass-cured polyvinyl toluene without compromising optical properties. Consequently, these nanocomposites demonstrate scintillation light yields reaching 10 400 photons/MeV, subnanosecond scintillation kinetics, and remarkable radiation resilience, able to withstand γ radiation doses of up to 1 MGy. This performance not only meets but also exceeds the scintillation of plastic scintillators despite the radiation-induced damage to the host matrix.
Authors
- Francesco Carulli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8345-6606)
- Daniela Erminia Manno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5843-8772)
- Ivan Infante (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3467-9376)
- Federico Catalano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5574-0063)
- Andrea Erroi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5128-7772)
- Francesco Bruni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0303-2916)
- Roberta Pascazio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6860-6221)
- Francesca Rossi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1773-2542)
- Ilaria Di Sarcina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8562-9462)
- Alessia Cemmi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5626-6778)
- Matteo L. Zaffalon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1016-6413)
- L. Lazzarini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5346-4026)
- Liang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3898-0641)
- Sergio Brovelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5993-855X)
- Mingming Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2780-5277)
- Abdessamad El Adel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4880-8293)
Institutions
- National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (IT)
- Ikerbasque (ES)
- Macau University of Science and Technology (MO)
- Huntington Hospital (US)
- University of Salento (IT)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures (ES)
- Italian Institute of Technology (IT)
- ENEA Casaccia Research Centre
- University of Milano-Bicocca (IT)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Energy Letters
- Published
- 2024-12-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.4c02711
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.08
Funders
- Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca
- Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
- H2020 European Research Council
- HORIZON EUROPE European Innovation Council