Solution growth of a deuterated trans-stilbene crystal for fast neutron detection

The paper reports results on growth and characterization of the first deuterated analog of the trans-stilbene crystal. The high optical quality stilbene-d12 single crystal was grown by application of the solution technique using specially synthesized raw material and an aromatic solvent (anisole). Optical, physical, and scintillation properties of the new material are compared to those of the regular trans-stilbene crystal. The new deuterated material is promising for use in fast neutron spectroscopy without the need for time-of-flight measurements.