Progress and Challenges of Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals as Future Scintillators

The use of scintillators for detecting ionizing radiation is crucial in various fields, such as medicine, nuclear monitoring, homeland security, and space exploration. Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP-NCs) embedded in plastic matrices are emerging as promising scintillator materials. These materials address the drawbacks of traditional scintillators, such as inorganic crystals and plastic scintillators, while leveraging their strengths. Notably, using LHP-NCs as nanoscintillators in polymer waveguides not only offers a scalable solution but also has the potential to enhance scintillation performance. This enhancement is due to the unique photophysics of quantum-confined materials, which offer size-tunable emission spectra that align perfectly with the spectral sensitivity of light detectors and ultrafast sub-nanosecond scintillation kinetics resulting from the recombination of multi-excitons generated by ionizing radiation. However, significant challenges remain, such as affordably scaling up synthesis to the multi-gram level, embedding LHP-NCs in optical-grade nanocomposites without compromising their optical properties, and gaining a deep understanding of the fundamental aspects of nanoscale scintillation mechanisms. In this talk, I will present our recent advancements in fabricating nanocomposite scintillators based on LHP-NCs. I will discuss several approaches for effective integration into plastic waveguides, including nanocrystal functionalization strategies, defect passivation, and advanced polymerization techniques. The interaction between nanocrystals and different matrices will be examined, and fundamental aspects of scintillation photophysics will be explored, including particle size and fine structure effects, aiming towards highly efficient and ultrafast scintillation.