Plastic scintillators with β-diketone Eu complexes for high ionizing radiation detection

Luminescent and scintillation properties of polystyrene-based plastic scintillators with β-diketone Eu complexes are investigated. A scintillator with dibenzoylmethane Eu complex containing two phenyl groups demonstrates the maximum scintillating efficiency. It is shown that plastic scintillators efficiency is dramatically decreased if β-diketone derivatives contain no phenyl groups as substituents. This fact can be explained by exciplex mechanism of energy transfer from a matrix to Eu complex.

► Fluorescent properties of polystyrene scintillators with β-diketone complexes of Eu were studied.
► Scintillating efficiency is increased with the number of phenyl groups in Eu complex.
► This is related to exciplex mechanism of energy transfer from a polymer matrix to Eu complex.