Terbium-activated lithium–lanthanum–aluminosilicate oxyfluoride scintillating glass and glass-ceramic

Terbium-activated lithium–lanthanum–aluminosilicate oxyfluoride scintillating glasses, 55SiO2·6Al2O3·28Li2O·11LaF3 doped with different TbF3 concentrations, have been fabricated and investigated. By appropriate heat treatment of the as-prepared glasses above, transparent glass-ceramics were obtained. Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, optical absorption, and luminescence under both UV and beta-particle excitation have been investigated on as-prepared glasses and glass-ceramics. It has been found that these terbium-activated lithium–lanthanum–aluminosilicate oxyfluoride scintillating glasses exhibit good UV-excited luminescence and radioluminescence. The luminescence yield increases for glass-ceramics. The efficiency of beta-induced luminescence is comparable or nearly equal to that of the Schott IQI-301 product.