Centimeter-sized lead-free iodide-based hybrid double perovskite single crystals for efficient X-ray...

Hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites (HOIPs) possess significant photoelectric characteristics for solar energy conversion, but the presence of lead causes issues for eco-friendly applications. Halide double perovskites represent a green option for application in the optoelectronic field, especially X-ray detection systems. Despite the great efforts, the exploration of large-size lead-free iodide-based hybrid double perovskite single crystals for X-ray detection has been unsuccessful. Herein, we demonstrate that a large single crystal of the 2D (two-dimensional) semiconducting perovskite (C₆H₁₆N₂)₂CuBiI₈·0.5H₂O can serve as an X-ray detection candidate. A perovskite crystal, as large as 35 × 31 × 3 mm³, was grown using a low-cost, simple cooling solution approach. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a centimeter-sized 2D BiCu iodide double perovskite single crystal has been used for X-ray detection. The perovskite crystal exhibited unique properties for X-ray detection, such as a significant X-ray absorption coefficient, considerable μτ product, and low trap density. Moreover, X-ray detection with a sensitivity of 5.51 μC Gy_air^-1 cm^-2 was achieved based on a single crystal. This work opens new ways to explore specially designed organic cations for stabilizing 2D HOIPs that show great potential in optoelectronics.