Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8170909 | Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment | 2016 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
A readily available and inexpensive boron compound was tested as an additive for the detection of thermal neutrons in plastic scintillators. Bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2Pin2) was determined to be a compatible boron source (8.51Â wt% boron, 1.70Â wt% 10B) in poly(vinyltoluene) based matrices. Plastic scintillator blends of 1-20Â wt% 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO), 0.1Â wt% 1,4-bis(5-phenyloxazol-2-yl) benzene (POPOP) and 1-15Â wt% B2Pin2 were prepared that provided optical clarity, good mechanical properties, and the capability of thermal neutron detection. Independent of B2Pin2 concentration, strong 10B neutron capture signals around 90Â keVee were observed at essentially constant light output. Increasing PPO concentration allowed for the use of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) in both fast and thermal neutron detection. High PPO concentrations appear to cause additional alpha quenching that affected the 10B neutron capture signal. Aging effects after storage in air for several months were observed, which led to degradation of performance and in some samples of mechanical stability.
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Authors
Adam Mahl, Henok A. Yemam, John Stuntz, Tyler Remedes, Alan Sellinger, Uwe Greife,