A flexible, fully organic detector for proton beams is presented here. The detector operates in the indirect mode and is composed of a polysiloxane-based scintillating layer coupled to an organic phototransistor, that is assessed for flexibility and low-voltage operation (V = −1 V), with a limit of detection of 0.026 Gy min⁻¹. We present a kinetic model able to precisely reproduce the dynamic response of the device under irradiation and to provide further insight into the physical processes controlling it. This detector is designed to target real-time and in-situ dose monitoring during proton therapy and demonstrates mechanical flexibility and low power operation, assessing its potential employment as a personal dosimeter with high comfort and low risk for the patient. The results show how such a proton detector represents a promising tool for real-time particle detection over a large area and irregular surfaces, suitable for many applications, from experimental scientific research to innovative theranostics.

The morphological, structural, and electrical properties of as-grown and annealed Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) layers, deposited by RF-sputtering on flexible polyimide, were studied by means of optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical characterization. The X-ray diffraction annealing experiments showed the structural transformation of GST layers from the as-grown amorphous state into their crystalline cubic and trigonal phases. The onset of crystallization of the GST films was inferred at about 140 °C. The vibrational properties of the crystalline GST layers were investigated via Raman spectroscopy with mode assignment in agreement with previous works on GST films grown on rigid substrates. The electrical characterization revealed a good homogeneity of the amorphous and crystalline trigonal GST with an electrical resistance contrast of 8 × 10⁶.

In the last few years, most applications in the field of light sensing have required devices able to detect light intensities as low as pW/cm ² . At the same time, the rise of organic-based sensors is meeting no stops because of the desired properties that organic materials provide, like flexibility, lightweight, low cost, and low temperature processability. Low-intensity light signal detectors are growing in a huge number of fields: in prostate cancer treatment, modern proton therapy is requiring the detection of very low light intensities generated by scintillators that convert the proton flux into a light signal; moreover, in robotics, the most recent products need to detect light both in the sunlight and at the nighttime when the illumination intensity is lower. Here, we report on a flexible organic phototransistor (OPT) with impressive low-light detection, with a limit of detection (LoD) down to 28 pW/cm ² . The OPT works reliably in different environments, acting at low polarization bias down to −1 V. These results show the perspective of a new class of light detectors based on a low-cost manufacturing process for flexible applications.

We report on a wearable, human tissue-equivalent, real-time dosimeter designed to quantitatively monitor radiation absorbed by patients during cancer treatments. The fully organic device has been characterized under actual clinical conditions using a high-energy proton beam and an anthropomorphic phantom, with the aim to simulate a prostate cancer proton therapy treatment. We achieved a full control over the dosimeter operation, and we verified its linear response with the received dose. We demonstrate that, by a proper functionalization of the polysiloxane-based scintillator, it is possible to target the effective detection of different kinds of ionizing radiation. Specifically, besides protons, we develop a device able to detect thermal neutrons, targeting its use during Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. This work demonstrates how organic indirect detectors can be considered a universal radiation detecting platform able to monitor in real time and in situ the dose absorbed by patients during cancer treatments under different kinds of radiation.

Edge computing architectures are intended to store and process data nearby the sensor, while ensuring fast and safe data processing, low power consumption and cost minimization. The stability, mechanical flexibility, huge computational and storage requirements needed for these applications are beyond the capability of current embedded devices. Memories based on phase‐change materials have the potential to overcome these issues. However, their behavior on flexible substrates is yet to be understood and alloys owning the required key features still need to be proposed. With this work, it is demonstrated that Ge–Sb–Te (GST) alloys are large‐area scalable and directly processable on flexible substrates, while their large resistance contrast enables the prospect of multilevel data encoding. Remarkably, the Ge enrichment acts as both thermal and mechanical stabilizer within the alloy. The highlighted features of Ge‐enriched GST alloys show their potential as new active materials for the most demanding flexible edge electronics applications.