Investigations of radiation damaged arranged scintillating particle composites

Wiggins, Brenden W.; Richards, Cameron Gregory; Nelson, Ronald Owen; Iliev, Metodi; Hehlen, Markus Peter

doi:10.1063/5.0067067

Title: Investigations of radiation damaged arranged scintillating particle composites

Journal Article · Tue Nov 16 00:00:00 EST 2021 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0067067· OSTI ID:2324916

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Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Composites consisting of periodically arranged scintillating particles within an acrylic (poly methyl methacrylate) matrix are excellent templates for the gamma-insensitive detection of fast neutrons. In order to study the impact of radiation damage on acrylic-based scintillating particle composites, we exposed acrylic samples to different doses of fast neutrons up to 119.7 kGy and investigated the change in optical characteristics using optical absorption spectroscopy in the 200–800 nm wavelength range. The experimental results are compared to coupled MCNP6 and optical ray-tracing (FRED) simulations, and qualitative agreement is found. Neutron-induced radiation damage in the acrylic matrix manifests as a red-shift in the ultra-violet absorption edge of the acrylic and a corresponding decrease in the light propagation efficiency, which leads to detector performance degradation. We show for the first time that the effects of radiation damage can be mitigated by the use of wavelength-shifting coatings. We predict that composites with wavelength-shifting coatings can enable neutron detectors with high tolerance against neutron-induced radiation damage, a property that is particularly desired for neutron detection in high radiation environments.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001

OSTI ID:: 2324916

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1830420

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-19-29565

Journal Information:: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 130, Issue 19; ISSN 0021-8979

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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