Synergistic effect of AgBiS2 segregated NaV3O8 nanostructures in direct conversion X-ray sensors

Synergistic nanostructures possess enriched electrical and optical properties compared to conventional nanostructures. 1D - 3D synergized nanostructure was implied to elucidate the performance of the X-ray sensor for the first time. Current research in X-ray detection only focuses on implementing high attenuating material based on oxides/ perovskites in developing X-ray sensors. Herein we approached tailoring the performance of an X-ray sensor with a synergistic nanostructure composed of sodium vanadium oxide (NaV3O8) with substantial grain boundary (GB) segregation of silver bismuth sulfide (AgBiS2), enabling the structured arrangement of nanostructured grains at the surface of NaV3O8 nanorods. Then, it was coated as a thick film on top of the interdigitated electrodes by glass rod sliding technique to readout the dose-dependent X-ray sensing capability. From the X-ray impinged photocurrent characteristics, the sensor with 75 wt% AgBiS2 segregated NaV3O8 exhibits superior sensitivity 82.6 nC mGy−1 cm−2 and low-noise equivalent dose rate 1.04 mGy Hz−0.5 for 2.49 mGy s−1 than other compositions. These experimental findings explore the implication of synergistic nanostructures as active layers in direct conversion X-rays sensors for improved charge extraction and enhancement in X-ray impinged photocurrent at low dose rates. [Display omitted] •AgBiS2:NaV3O8 segregated synergistic nanostructures with (100:0 wt%); (75:25 wt%); (50:50 wt%); (25:75 wt%) compositions was used to fabricate low-dose X-ray sensors.•X-ray impinged photocurrent characteristics reveal that X-ray sensors based on (25:75 wt%) NaV3O8: AgBiS2 exhibit low dark current of 10-8A at 2 V bias condition.•Our device exhibit sensitivity of (82.6 nC mGy-1 cm-2) and NED (1.04 mGy Hz-0.5) at 2.49 mGy s-1 dose rate.