Achieving Effective Self-Driven X-ray Detection Sensitivity via Pyroelectric–Photovoltaic Coupling in a Layered Perovskite Pyroelectric

X-ray detection plays a significant role in industry and medicine, while it remains challenging to implement highly sensitive X-ray detection without an external source. Here, we have successfully achieved strong X-ray-induced pyroelectric–photovoltaic coupling in a layered perovskite, (DFBZA)2PbCl4 (DFBZA = 2,4-difluorobenzylamine), serving as an effective self-powered X-ray detection pathway. (DFBZA)2PbCl4 is a room-temperature pyroelectric with strong photoexcited pyroelectricity, of which the detecting capacity (FD) reaches up to ∼3.32 × 10–5 Pa–0.5 in the UV–NIR spectral region. Strikingly, its pyroelectric–photovoltaic coupling leads to a high X-ray sensitivity of ∼293 μC Gy–1 cm–2, on par with those of the highest-level self-powered X-ray detectors. This enhanced sensitivity by pyroelectric–photovoltaic coupling surpasses the individual photovoltaics by 290%, creating a brand-new pathway different from the previous mechanism. As the first study of X-ray-induced pyroelectric–photovoltaic coupling, our work furnishes a new pattern for sensitive self-driven X-ray detectors and advances their potential for smart device applications.