Highly Luminescent Metal‐Free Perovskite Single Crystal for Biocompatible X‐Ray Detector to Attain Highest Sensitivity

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2021-09, Vol.33 (36), p.e2102190-n/a
• Main Authors: Song, Xin, Li, Qian, Han, Jiang, Ma, Chuang, Xu, Zhuo, Li, Haojin, Wang, Peijun, Yang, Zhou, Cui, Qingyue, Gao, Lili, Quan, Zewei, Liu, Shengzhong (Frank), Zhao, Kui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Biocompatibility; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Calcium Compounds - chemistry; carrier diffusion length; Carrier lifetime; Crystallization; Emitters; Heavy metals; Light; Light emission; Lightweight; luminesce; Luminescent Agents - chemistry; Materials science; Metals - chemistry; metal‐free perovskite; Optoelectronic devices; Oxides - chemistry; Perovskites; Photoluminescence; Room temperature; Sensitivity; Single crystals; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Structure-Activity Relationship; Thermodynamics; Titanium - chemistry; Toxicity; X-Rays; X‐ray detection
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202102190

Solution‐processed metal‐based halide perovskites have taken a dominant position for perovskite optoelectronics including light emission and X‐ray detection; however, the toxicity of the included heavy metals severely restricts their applications for wearable, lightweight, and transient optoelectronic devices. Here, the authors describe investigations of large (4 × 6 × 2 mm3) 3D metal‐free perovskite MDABCO‐NH4I3 (MDBACO = methyl‐N′‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octonium) single crystal and its charge recombination and extraction behavior for light emission and X‐ray detection. Unlike conventional 3D metal‐based perovskites, this lightweight and biocompatible perovskite large crystal is processed from aqueous solution at room temperature, and can achieve both an extremely long carrier lifetime up to ≈1.03 µs and the formation of self‐trapped excited states for luminescence. These features contribute to a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) as high as ≈53% at room temperature and an X‐ray sensitivity up to 1997 ± 80 μC Gy cm−2 at 50 V bias (highest among all metal‐free detectors). The ability to tune the perovskite band gap by modulating the structure under high pressure is also demonstrated, which opens up applications for the crystal as colored emitters. These attributes make it a molecular alternative to metal‐based perovskites for biocompatible and transient optoelectronics. A large metal‐free perovskite MDABCO‐NH4I3 single crystal is grown. The crystal exhibits triplet self‐trapping excitons recombination, a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 53%, and structure‐modulated band nature and luminescence under high pressure. Finally, high‐performance X‐ray response and imaging are demonstrated with sensitivity up to 1997 ± 80 μC Gy cm−2.