High-sensitivity X-ray imaging of a lead halide perovskite single-crystal scintillator

Low-dose rate detection and high contrast are required to reduce unwanted ionization irradiation for X-ray imaging procedure. Recently, low-cost solution-processed hybrid lead halide perovskite has been demonstrated for direct X-ray detection. However, the performances are limited by the relative poor charge collection. Here we report an organic-inorganic perovskite single-crystal scintillator with high sensitivity for X-ray imaging. High-quality scintillator crystals have been synthesized using the solution-processed method at a low temperature with X-ray excited light emission wavelength of 432 nm. The lowest detectable dose rate is 114.7 nGy s⁻¹, which is comparable with the best perovskite-based photoconductor X-ray detector for a 50 keV X-ray. We achieved a high-contrast X-ray image that proves the feasibility for medical applications.