Synthesis and processing of lithium-loaded plastic scintillators on the kilogram scale

Ford, Michael J.; Aigeldinger, Elisabeth; Sutanto, Felicia; Zaitseva, Natalia P.; Li, Viacheslav A.; Carman, M. Leslie; Glenn, Andrew; Roca, Christian; Dazeley, Steven A.; Bowden, Nathaniel

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2023.168093

Title: Synthesis and processing of lithium-loaded plastic scintillators on the kilogram scale

Journal Article · Fri Feb 10 00:00:00 EST 2023 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2023.168093· OSTI ID:2006749

^[1]; Aigeldinger, Elisabeth ^[1];

^[1]; Zaitseva, Natalia P. ^[1];

^[1]; Carman, M. Leslie ^[1]; Glenn, Andrew ^[1]; Roca, Christian ^[1]; Dazeley, Steven A. ^[1]; Bowden, Nathaniel ^[1]

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Plastic scintillators that can discriminate between gamma rays, fast neutrons, and thermal neutrons were synthesized and characterized while considering the performance at the kilogram scale. The synthesis and processing of these plastic scintillators on the kilogram scale required examination of several factors. The examination of these factors was necessitated by the inclusion of 0.1 wt.% lithium-6 to enable detection of thermal neutrons. First, methacrylic acid was used as an additive to solubilize salts of lithium-6, which allow for a thermal-neutron capture reaction that produces scintillation light following energy transfer. Second, a trade-off between scintillation performance and processability was considered because the increasing content of the methacrylic acid that aided processability resulted in a sharp decrease in the light output. The use of small amounts of methacrylic acid (≤3 wt.%) resulted in better performance but required high processing temperatures. At large scales, these high temperatures could initiate exothermic polymerization that results in premature curing and/or defects. Additionally, the deleterious effects of the methacrylic acid may be mitigated by using m-terphenyl as a primary dye rather than 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO), which has been traditionally used in organic scintillators. Finally, the curing environment was controlled to avoid defects like cracking and discolouration while maintaining solubility of dopants during curing. For scintillators that were produced from kilogram-scale batches of precursors, the effective attenuation of scintillation light was characterized.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

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

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2006749

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-839909; 1060933

Journal Information:: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 1050; ISSN 0168-9002

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Synthesis and processing of lithium-loaded plastic scintillators on the kilogram scale

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