2D Metal-Halide Perovskite-Thin Polycrystalline Films Enable Bright and Fast Scintillations

The superior photophysical and electronic properties of 2D hybrid metal halide perovskites (HPs), including large absorption coefficients, high photoluminescence yields, and fast decay times, combined with high stopping power and mild temperature solution processing, make them promising candidates for next-generation scintillators. Herein, phenethylammonium lead iodide (PEA2PbI4) and 4-fluoro-phenethylammonium lead iodide (4F-PEA2PbI4) polycrystalline materials have been developed in the form of thin films, and their performance in terms of optical, crystalline, and morphological properties has been optimized, with the aim of maximizing their scintillation performance. Ion beam-induced luminescence (IBIL) experiments have been conducted using protons (H+) and scintillation tests under α particle excitation by a 241Am source. The results have been compared with those obtained using a standard commercial scintillator, EJ-212. The findings indicate that the light yield of the 2D-HPs samples surpasses that of one of the brightest organic and commercially available scintillator materials by a factor of 3. Additionally, the 2D-HPs samples exhibit an average decay time of around 4 ns.