64
*STTR
Project: Waveshifters and
Scintillators for Ionizing Radiation Detection--Ludlum
Measurements, Inc., P.O. Box 810, 501 Oak Street, Sweetwater, TX
79556-0810; 915-235-5494, www.ludlums.com
Mr.
Charles R. Hurlbut, Principal Investigator, churlbut@elijentechnology.com
Mr.
Donald Ludlum, Business Official, dludlum@ludlums.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-03ER86171
Amount:
$500,000
Research
Institution
University
of
Notre
Dame, IN
Organic
scintillators and waveshifters are fundamental materials used in the detection
of ionizing radiation in experimental detectors for high energy physics
research, and in other applications such as nuclear medicine and homeland
security. Future scientific
developments will require improving scintillator and waveshifter response time
while maintaining high light efficiency, good uniformity, acceptable radiation
resistance, and stable environmental characteristics.
This project will develop fast-response, high-efficiency fluorescent dyes
for incorporation in organic scintillation and waveshifter materials, in both
bulk and fiber-optic form. In Phase
I, a set of promising fluorescent dye structures were identified and
synthesized. A subset was
incorporated into bulk organic plastic materials for preliminary
characterization of spectral properties, efficiency, and response time.
The dyes with the fastest response time and highest efficiency in the
plastic host material were incorporated into organic plastic fibers for further
study. Phase II will optimize the
compositions and dye concentrations, and assess material stability in the face
of radiation damage and environmental conditions.
Laboratory tooling and techniques will be established to provide
efficient and practical synthesis and purification of the organic dyes in
significant quantities.
Commercial Applications and Other
Benefits
as described by awardee: In addition
to their application to high energy physics research, new scintillation and
waveshifter materials should have application to homeland security (for imaging
of shipping containers for the detection of contraband, drugs, and explosives),
industrial gauging (where scintillators are often placed in hot environments, to
allow longer wavelengths for longer instrument lifetimes), and medical dosimetry
(where stable, bright, long-wavelength scintillators are continually being
requested).