Medical Design Briefs - February 2021 - 29

realm, he says, has been slow primarily
because research groups focus either on
materials synthesis or on x-ray and
gamma ray detectors - his group does
both. Kanatzidis' lab looked at more
than 60 promising compounds before
landing on cesium lead bromide.
Even with advancements enabled by
the new material, Kanatzidis says his
work with collaborators at Northwestern
and Argonne doesn't end.
" Our shelf is full of new possibilities we
have yet to investigate more deeply, "
Kanatzidis says. " My research group is a
rare combination of the engineering side
and the crystal growth side of things. "

Yihui He is a research assistant professor in the Kanatzidis lab and the first
author of the paper.
" The new device fabrication protocols
we report with our collaborators at the
University of Michigan could lead to mass
production of cesium lead bromide
detectors in the near future, " He says.
Professor Zhong He's group at the
University of Michigan participated in
detector characterization and analysis.
Argonne scientist Duck Young Chung
was a lead collaborator in the effort.
Kanatzidis and colleagues have founded a new company, Actinia, to commercialize cesium lead bromide detectors

for gamma and x-ray detection and identification. These new detectors will have
wide-reaching implications in medical
diagnostics, homeland security, and
nuclear safety.
The study, " CsPbBr3 perovskite detectors with 1.4% energy resolution for
high-energy -rays, " was supported by
the U.S. Department of Energy (award
number DE-AC02-06CH11357). The
effort also was sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Defense (award number
HDTRA1-20-2-0002).
This article was written by Lila Reynolds,
Northwestern University. For more information, visit https://news.northwestern.edu.

Ultra-Thin, Highly Sensitive Strain Sensors Improve
Robotic Arms
The sensors improve the
safety and precision of
industrial robotic arms.
National University of
Singapore, Singapore

Medical Design Briefs, February 2021

A research team from NUS, led by
Assistant Professor Chen Po-Yen, has taken
the first step toward improving the safety
and precision of industrial robotic arms by
developing a new range of nanomaterial
strain sensors that are 10 times more sensi-

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79410-756

Cov

ToC

tive when measuring minute movements,
compared to existing technology.
Fabricated using flexible, stretchable,
and electrically conductive nanomaterials called MXenes, these novel strain
sensors are ultra-thin and battery-free,

https://news.northwestern.edu http://info.hotims.com/79410-756

Medical Design Briefs - February 2021

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