Novel materials for radiation detection

The act of scintillation refers to the method used to detect ionizing radiation, which in high doses can have a detrimental effect on human health. The compounds used in scintillation applications determine the performance of detection, with the successful ones providing high light yield and superior energy solutions.

There have been many studies to identify materials suitable for this purpose, with metal hexachlorides demonstrating very promising characteristics. However, performance is not the only determining factor in this search, as the chosen material must also be suitable for commercial development – be easy to synthesize, consistent in performance, low to produce, and exhibit low hygroscopicity (doesn’t easily absorb moisture from the ambient atmosphere and therefore deteriorate/change its physical form).

In a recent study at Diamond, scientists from the National Centre for Nuclear Research, Queen’s University, Kingston, and the National University of Lviv, used in situ X-ray diffraction to determine the crystal structure and scintillation properties of Cs₂HfCl₆ and Cs₂ZrCl₆ crystals when exposed to a range of temperatures. 

The study hopes to provide a comprehensive insight into the physical properties of these self-activated metal hexachloride scintillators and determine their temperature dependence.

Find out what they discovered