Aqueous-Based Inorganic Colloidal Halide Perovskites Customizing Liquid Scintillators.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nuclear Instrumentation

Background:

• Aqueous-based liquid scintillators (AbLS) offer scalability but suffer from low light yield (≈100 photons MeV⁻¹).
• Existing AbLS are limited in performance for sensitive radiation detection applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel aqueous-based inorganic colloidal halide perovskites with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY).
• To fabricate a new generation of perovskite-mediated AbLS (PAbLS) with enhanced light yield and stability.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of colloidal halide perovskites with high PLQY (up to 96%) for red, green, and blue luminescence.
• Modification using poly(ethylene glycol) to improve dispersion, inhibit vacancies, and ensure defect-free surfaces in aqueous solution.
• Fabrication and characterization of PAbLS, evaluating light yield, stability, radiation hardness, and operating temperature range.

Main Results:

• Achieved high PLQY for primary colors (88.1% red, 96% green, 81.8% blue).
• PAbLS demonstrated significantly increased light yield (3058 photons MeV⁻¹ at room temp, 8037 photons MeV⁻¹ at low temp) compared to commercial AbLS.
• High luminescent emission stability maintained for 100 days at low temperatures; customizable operating temperatures even below 0 °C.
• Exhibited robust radiation hardness (up to 23 mGy s⁻¹) and scalability.

Conclusions:

• Poly(ethylene glycol) modification is key to achieving high PLQY and stable dispersion of halide perovskites in aqueous solutions.
• The developed PAbLS represent a significant advancement in liquid scintillator technology, overcoming previous limitations in light yield and stability.
• PAbLS show strong potential for 360° high-energy ray radiation detection due to their superior performance and customizable properties.