3D Printed Ultra‐Fast Plastic Scintillators Based on Perovskite‐Photocurable Polymer Composite

Additive manufacturing technology is exploited for the first time to build a complex geometry scintillator using a thermosetting photocurable resin filled by lead halide perovskite as an active material. To this aim, an innovative nanocomposite is developed based on Cs4PbBr6 perovskite powders as fillers and photocurable resin as matrix, adopting stereolithography as a manufacturing process. The use of high-Z lead-based perovskite filler is needed for the detection of ionizing radiation and the conversion into visible light, while the polymer matrix provides 3D printability. On the one hand, the inclusion of the perovskite-based filler in the photocurable resin does not affect the rheological behavior and photocuring properties of the polymer matrix, making the composite suitable for 3D printing by stereolithography. On the other hand, the presence of the polymer does not affect the emission properties of the perovskite leading to the development of a fast response scintillator with significantly improved environmental stability. This work opens the avenue to the development of a completely new class of plastic scintillating materials.