Sensitive and Low-Noise Perovskite Nanocrystal-Organic Bulk Heterostructure X-ray Detectors Enabled by Sodium Bromide-Assisted In Situ Reparation.

ABSTRACT

Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) offer unique advantages in large-area and thick-film deposition for X-ray detection applications due to the decoupling of the crystallization of perovskite from film formation, as well as their low-temperature and scalable deposition methods. However, the partial detachment of long-chain ligands in PNCs during the purification process would lead to the exposure of surface defects, making it challenging to ensure efficient charge carrier extraction and stable X-ray detection. In this study, we propose a beneficial strategy that involves the in situ reparation of these exposed defects with sodium bromide (NaBr) during the purification process to construct CsPbBr3 PNC-organic bulk heterostructure X-ray detectors. The NaBr-passivated PNCs exhibit stronger photoluminescence intensity and lower trap density in films compared to those of the control samples, confirming the effective passivation of halide vacancy defects. Furthermore, the NiOx hole transport layer with remarkable electron blocking capability is introduced to further suppress the dark current of the devices. Consequently, the optimal devices exhibit a large sensitivity of 4237 µC Gyair-1 cm-2 and a low dark current density of 10 nA cm-2, as well as improved operational stability, which allows for high-contrast and low-dose X-ray imaging applications.