Spatially nanoconfined N-type polymer semiconductors for stretchable ultrasensitive X-ray detection
Yangshuang Bian, Kai Liu, Yang Ran, Yi Li, Yuanhong Gao, Zhiyuan Zhao, Mingchao Shao, Yanwei Liu, Junhua Kuang, Zhiheng Zhu, Mingcong Qin, Zhichao Pan, Mingliang Zhu, Chenyu Wang, Hu Chen, Jia Li, Xifeng Li, Yunqi Liu, Yunlong Guo
Abstract
Abstract Polymer semiconductors are promising candidates for wearable and skin-like X-ray detectors due to their scalable manufacturing, adjustable molecular structures and intrinsic flexibility. Herein, we fabricated an intrinsically stretchable n-type polymer semiconductor through spatial nanoconfinement effect for ultrasensitive X-ray detectors. The design of high-orientation nanofiber structures and dense interpenetrating polymer networks enhanced the electron-transporting efficiency and stability of the polymer semiconductors. The resultant polymer semiconductors exhibited an ultrahigh sensitivity of 1.52 × 10 4 μC Gy air −1 cm −2 , an ultralow detection limit of 37.7 nGy air s −1 (comparable to the record-low value of perovskite single crystals), and polymer film X-ray imaging was achieved at a low dose rate of 3.65 μGy air s −1 (about 1/12 dose rate of the commercial medical chest X-ray diagnosis). Meanwhile, the hybrid semiconductor films could sustain 100% biaxial stretching strain with minimal degeneracy in photoelectrical performances. These results provide insights into future high-performance, low-cost e-skin photoelectronic detectors and imaging.