The device, based on a special class of crystalline compounds called perovskites, could be used to quickly detect neutrons coming from radioactive materials, e.g. a nuclear reactor that has been damaged or that is being transported nefariously, the researchers say. The work is published in Scientific Reports.
Perovskites based on organic and inorganic elements are hotly tipped to be world-beating materials for solar cell applications. But their talents don’t end with converting sunlight to power: perovskites can also be used to detect specific types of radiation, from visible light to gamma rays.
Source: “Photovoltaic perovskites can detect neutrons”, EPFL News
