Ceramic particles supply digital X-ray plates 'from an aerosol can'
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - 09:22
in Physics & Chemistry
Digital X-ray systems have become a vital part of health care. The analog X-ray film of the past has been replaced by digital flat panel detectors. Today's detectors are sensitive but quite expensive and have limited resolution. Now, scientists collaborating in project HOP-X have succeeded in developing new materials for detectors: they embedded ceramic particles in a conductive plastic. The components of these "composite detectors" can be stirred into a solvent and then applied like paint by spraying. This means that, in future, it might be possible to manufacture X-ray detectors inexpensively and on a large scale with greater image resolution.