The research findings were published in the October 4, 2017 edition of the scientific journal Nature in an article entitled “Printable organometallic perovskite enables large-area, low-dose X-ray imaging”

Researchers at SAIT developed a perovskite semi-conductor material that, in addition to being significantly lower in radiation, is 20 times higher in sensitivity for X-rays, as well as cheaper in price compared to conventional flat panel detectors. Additionally, while conventional detectors processed with a vacuum deposition process, the technology used to make thin films of semi-conductors, do not allow extension to a large area due to technical limitations, the new material allows enlargement as required through a solution-based process such as printing or bar coating. Commercialization of this technology offers the potential for producing low-dose X-ray detectors that can scan the whole body at once.

“In order to apply perovskite onto X-ray photons, which are highly penetrable, the material must be 1,000 times thicker than that of a solar cell, while being able to retain electric signals for a sufficiently long enough time converted from X-ray,” said InTaek Han, Vice President of SAIT. “The new method of synthesis developed from the research is a key breakthrough for the field.”

*Perovskite: This crystal structured mineral is named after the Russian scientist Lev Perovski. Developers of solar cells and X-ray equipment are highly interested in the material due to its excellent photoelectric efficiency, which transfers light into electrical current.