Researchers from China's Harbin Normal University and Air Force Engineering University have developed a lightweight, flexible wearable system that combines radiation shielding and real-time detection using CsPbBr3 perovskite-based composite films.
The team addressed a longstanding challenge in radiation protection: integrating passive shielding and active monitoring into a single, wearable platform. Conventional lead-based materials provide strong attenuation but are heavy, rigid, and incapable of real-time response. In contrast, the newly developed system leverages the intrinsic high atomic number (Z) elements in CsPbBr3 - cesium (Cs), lead (Pb), and bromine (Br) - to enable efficient photon attenuation while maintaining flexibility and low weight.
The researchers fabricated two types of composite films via a simple mixing approach: a shielding film based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), referred to as CPB-P, and a detection film based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), referred to as CPB-F. In both cases, CsPbBr3 microcrystals serve as the functional component responsible for radiation interaction.
The CPB-P shielding film demonstrates strong attenuation across X-ray and gamma-ray regimes. Specifically, X-ray shielding efficiencies range from 86.92% up to 100%, depending on conditions. For gamma radiation emitted from a 241Am source at 59.5 keV, the film achieves a shielding efficiency of 73.6%. This performance is supported by a high linear attenuation coefficient of 9.25 cm⁻¹ and a mass attenuation coefficient of 3.31 cm² g⁻¹, reflecting the strong photon absorption enabled by the perovskite’s high-Z composition.
In parallel, the CPB-F detector film maintains excellent optoelectronic response under mechanical stress. The device exhibits a high X-ray sensitivity of 1065.4 μC Gy_air⁻¹ cm⁻² and retains stable detection performance even after 10,000 bending cycles, highlighting its suitability for wearable applications. The robustness is largely attributed to the PVDF matrix, which provides mechanical durability while preserving the perovskite’s charge transport properties.
CsPbBr3 plays a dual role. Its high atomic number constituents enhance photon attenuation through increased photoelectric absorption, addressing the “absorption zone matching” issue often encountered in composite shielding materials. At the same time, its favorable optoelectronic properties - such as high carrier mobility, long diffusion length, and defect tolerance - enable efficient conversion of incident radiation into electrical signals for detection.
The study moves beyond material-level optimization by integrating shielding, detection, and wireless communication into a single wearable system. This allows simultaneous radiation protection, real-time dose monitoring, and user alerts, representing a shift from single-function materials toward multifunctional, intelligent platforms.
Overall, this work demonstrates a practical pathway toward next-generation wearable radiation protection systems, combining flexibility, lightweight design, high shielding efficiency, and stable detection performance within a unified architecture.
