Ion and radiation detection devices based on carbon nanomaterials and two-dimensional nanomaterials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11372118-B2
Application number	US-201716331648-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

Ultrasensitive, miniaturized, and inexpensive ion and ionizing radiation detection devices are provided. The devices include an insulating substrate, metallic contact pads disposed on a surface of the substrate, and a strip of an ultrathin two-dimensional material having a thickness of one or a few atomic layers. The strip is in contact with the contact pads, and a voltage is applied across the two-dimensional sensor material. Individual ions contacting the two-dimensional material alter the current flowing through the material and are detected. The devices can be used in a network of monitors for high energy ions and ionizing radiation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ion detection device comprising:
an insulating substrate;
first and second metallic contact pads disposed on a surface of the substrate;
a strip of a two-dimensional material, the strip having a first end and a second end, the first end in contact with the first pad and the second end in contact with the second pad, wherein the two-dimensional material is selected from the group consisting of GaS, GaSe, InS, InSe, HfS 2 , HfSe 2 , HfTe 2 , MoS 2 , MoSe 2 , MoTe 2 , NbS 2 , NbSe 2 , NbTe 2 , NiS 2 , NiSe 2 , NiTe 2 , PdS 2 , PdSe 2 , PdTe 2 , PtS 2 , PtSe 2 , PtTe 2 , ReS 2 , ReSe 2 , ReTe 2 , TaS 2 , TaSe 2 , TaTe 2 , TiS 2 , TiSe 2 , TiTe 2 , WS 2 , WSe 2 , WTe 2 , ZrS 2 , ZrSe 2 , and ZrTe 2 ; and

wherein a potential difference applied across the pads causes current to flow through the two-dimensional material and ions contacting the two-dimensional material are detected by a change in the magnitude of said current.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a sealed housing forming a chamber enclosing the substrate, contact pads, and strip of two-dimensional material, wherein the chamber is charged with an ionizable gas; and wherein the device functions as an ionizing radiation detector.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the gas is selected from the group consisting of air, Ar, N 2 , He, and combinations thereof.

4. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a processor, a memory, a transmitter, and a battery, wherein the device is capable of reporting measured values of detected ionizing radiation to a remote receiver.

5. A plurality of the devices of claim 4 , linked to form a network for detection of ionizing radiation over an area.

6. The plurality of devices of claim 5 , wherein at least 10 of said devices are distributed over the area, and wherein the area comprises a city.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a sealed housing forming a chamber enclosing the substrate, contact pads, and strip of two-dimensional material, wherein the chamber is evacuated to form a vacuum within the chamber; and wherein the device functions as a detector of ionized particles capable of penetrating the housing.

8. The device of claim 7 , further comprising a processor, a memory, a transmitter, and a battery, wherein the device is capable of reporting measured values of detected ionizing radiation to a remote receiver.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least 10 13 carriers/cm 2 are induced in the material in the presence of ions.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein about 6×10 13 to about 10 14 carriers/cm 2 are induced in the material.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the charge-current amplification factor value is at least 10 8 A C −1 .

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the strip of two-dimensional material is in the range from about 1 nm to about 100 nm, and its surface area is in the range from about 200 nm 2 to about 1.5 mm 2 .

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the weight of the device is in the range from about 100 μg to about 1 g.

14. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a processor, a memory, a transmitter, and a battery, wherein the device is capable of reporting measured values of detected ions to a remote receiver.

15. The device of claim 1 , configured as an ion sensor for use in a mass spectrometer.

Assignees

• Univ Northeastern

Inventors

• Hao Ji
• Kar Swastik
• Jung Yung Joon
• Rubin Daniel

Classifications

• G01T1/185

  with ionisation chamber arrangements · CPC title

• C01B19/04

  Binary compounds {including binary selenium-tellurium compounds (C01B19/004, C01B19/005, C01B19/007 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G01T1/244 Primary

  Auxiliary details, e.g. casings, cooling, damping or insulation against damage by, e.g. heat, pressure or the like · CPC title

• C01B32/159

  single-walled · CPC title

• H01J49/025

  Detectors specially adapted to particle spectrometers (data acquisition H01J49/0036; detectors per se G01T, e.g. G01T1/28, G01T1/29) · CPC title