Lithiated sol–gel based neutron scintillators

Lithiated sol–gel glasses incorporating micron-scale organic and inorganic fluorescent dopant particles were fabricated and evaluated for use as thin-film composite neutron scintillators. The light emission spectra of the scintillators and their pulse shapes were measured. The pulse height spectra from the composite scintillators showed energy peaks or plateaus upon exposure to neutrons. The loading of fluorescent dopant particles into lithiated glass expands the range of available neutron scintillators.