This paper considers scintillation and physical properties of efficient organic scintillators tested as single crystals and as components of plastics with pulse shape discrimination (PSD). For the first time, single crystals of 9,9-dimethyl-2-phenyl-9H-fluorene (PhF) were grown for studies of the basic scintillation properties of this new compound. Comparison to classical organic crystals, like anthracene, trans-stilbene, and p-terphenyl, and to more recently introduced organic glass showed that the new crystal belongs to a group of the most efficient scintillators, with light output exceeding that of trans-stilbene and PSD comparable to that of p-terphenyl. Furthermore, additional studies were conducted to evaluate scintillation performance and physical properties, like hardness and dye leaching, of plastic scintillators prepared with PhF, organic glass, and liquid diisopropylnaphthalene (DIPN) that were considered as examples for potential replacement of PPO (2,5-diphenyloxazole) in current commercial PSD plastic scintillators. Comparison of the highest performing plastic scintillators prepared with these dyes shows that PhF formulations produced a record light output (LO) increase of 69 % relative to EJ-200. Similar improvements obtained with 6Li-loaded formulations showed that future development of PSD plastics should not be limited to use of PPO but must involve the search and exploration of new efficient dyes that may lead to discovery of much brighter organic scintillators with improved physical properties required for fast and thermal neutron detection, fast neutron spectroscopy, and antineutrino detection applications.
Zaitseva, Natalia, et al. "Comparative analysis of new crystal and plastic scintillators for fast and thermal neutron detection." Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, vol. 1082, Oct. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2025.171077
Zaitseva, Natalia, Glenn, Andrew, Carman, Leslie, et al., "Comparative analysis of new crystal and plastic scintillators for fast and thermal neutron detection," Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 1082 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2025.171077
@article{osti_2998659,
author = {Zaitseva, Natalia and Glenn, Andrew and Carman, Leslie and Ford, Michael and Shipp, Kyle and Frizzell, Calandra and Gomez, Michael and Hurlbut, Charles and Falana, Olusegun},
title = {Comparative analysis of new crystal and plastic scintillators for fast and thermal neutron detection},
annote = {This paper considers scintillation and physical properties of efficient organic scintillators tested as single crystals and as components of plastics with pulse shape discrimination (PSD). For the first time, single crystals of 9,9-dimethyl-2-phenyl-9H-fluorene (PhF) were grown for studies of the basic scintillation properties of this new compound. Comparison to classical organic crystals, like anthracene, trans-stilbene, and p-terphenyl, and to more recently introduced organic glass showed that the new crystal belongs to a group of the most efficient scintillators, with light output exceeding that of trans-stilbene and PSD comparable to that of p-terphenyl. Furthermore, additional studies were conducted to evaluate scintillation performance and physical properties, like hardness and dye leaching, of plastic scintillators prepared with PhF, organic glass, and liquid diisopropylnaphthalene (DIPN) that were considered as examples for potential replacement of PPO (2,5-diphenyloxazole) in current commercial PSD plastic scintillators. Comparison of the highest performing plastic scintillators prepared with these dyes shows that PhF formulations produced a record light output (LO) increase of 69 % relative to EJ-200. Similar improvements obtained with 6Li-loaded formulations showed that future development of PSD plastics should not be limited to use of PPO but must involve the search and exploration of new efficient dyes that may lead to discovery of much brighter organic scintillators with improved physical properties required for fast and thermal neutron detection, fast neutron spectroscopy, and antineutrino detection applications.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nima.2025.171077},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2998659},
journal = {Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment},
issn = {ISSN 0168-9002},
volume = {1082},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Elsevier},
year = {2025},
month = {10}}
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
2998659
Report Number(s):
LLNL--JRNL-2004786
Journal Information:
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Journal Name: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment Vol. 1082; ISSN 0168-9002
Zaitseva, Natalia; Rupert, Benjamin L.; PaweŁczak, Iwona
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