OU Team Crafts Durable Hybrid for Speedy Radiation Detection

Researchers develop new materials that combine organic and inorganic components for fast, efficient radiation detection.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have developed new hybrid materials that combine organic and inorganic components to create fast and efficient radiation detectors. The materials emit light when exposed to radiation, with the organic component providing faster light emission compared to traditional inorganic materials. The hybrid design also results in improved stability, allowing the materials to remain functional for over a year without protective encapsulation.

Why it matters

The new hybrid materials developed by the OU team could advance the field of fast radiation detection, which is crucial for applications such as neutron, X-ray, and gamma ray detectors. The ability to combine the strengths of organic and inorganic components in a single material represents a novel approach that could lead to significant improvements in radiation detection technology.

The details

The researchers, led by graduate student M S Muhammad, incorporated organic molecules called stilbenes into custom-designed layered perovskite structures. This hybrid design resulted in a five-fold increase in light emission efficiency compared to the organic molecules alone. The organic component provides faster light emission, which is a key factor for certain radiation detection applications. Additionally, the hybrid materials have remained stable for over a year, even when left unprotected in the open air, addressing a common challenge with radiation detection materials.

  • The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in February 2026.

The players

M S Muhammad

A graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma, who led the research team that developed the new hybrid materials.

Bayram Saparov

A professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma and the senior author on the research paper.

University of Oklahoma

The institution where the research was conducted.

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What they’re saying

“By combining the inorganic and organic components into one hybrid material, we can take advantage of the strengths of each structural part.”

— M S Muhammad, Graduate student (Mirage News)

“Fast radiation detectors need fast scintillation properties, which means we want the light emission to be fast. The organic structural part of these materials can provide that.”

— M S Muhammad, Graduate student (Mirage News)

“The performance of Muhammad's materials is on par with the state-of-the-art fast radiation detectors. What it tells us is that the strategy we demonstrated in this work is effective. With further fine-tuning, we can increase the luminescence efficiency of these hybrid materials, and they can even beat the state-of-the-art.”

— Bayram Saparov, Professor (Mirage News)

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue refining the hybrid materials to further improve their luminescence efficiency, with the goal of developing radiation detectors that outperform the current state-of-the-art.

The takeaway

The novel hybrid materials developed by the OU team represent a significant advancement in the field of fast radiation detection. By combining the strengths of organic and inorganic components, the researchers have created a durable and efficient solution that could have far-reaching implications for a wide range of radiation detection applications.