New cerium-based metal-organic scintillators for radiation detection

L. A. Boatner, J. S. Neal, J. O. Ramey, B. C. Chakoumakos, R. Custelcean, E. V.D. Van Loef, G. Markosyan, K. S. Shah

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have previously shown that a new class of scintillating materials can be developed based on the synthesis and crystal growth of rare-earth metal-organic compounds. The first scintillator of this type consisted of single crystals of CeCl3(CH3OH)4 that were grown from a methanol solution. These crystals were shown to be applicable to both gamma-ray and fast neutron detection. Subsequently, metal-organic scintillators consisting of the compound LaBr3(CH3OH)4 activated with varying levels of Ce3+ and of CeBr3(CH3OH)4 were grown in single crystal form. We have now extended the development of this new class of scintillators to more complex organic components by reacting rare-earth halides such as CeCl3 or CeBr3 with different isomers of propanol and butanol - including 1-propanol, isobutanol, n-butanol, and tert-butanol. The reaction of CeCl3 or CeBr3 with these organics results in the formation of new and relatively complex molecular crystals whose structures were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These new metal-organic scintillating materials were grown in single crystal form from solution, and their scintillation characteristics have been investigated using X-ray-excited luminescence plus energy spectra obtained with gamma-ray and alpha-particle sources. If the reactions between the inorganic and organic components are not carried out under very dry and highly controlled conditions, molecular structures will be formed that incorporate waters of hydration. The present observation of scintillation in these hydrated rare-earth metal-organic compounds is apparently an original finding, since we are not aware of any previous reports of scintillation being observed in a material that incorporates waters of hydration.

Funding

The authors acknowledge with thanks the excellent contributions to the single crystal growth of Kelly Ramey Cunningham, Jason L. Ramey, and Shelby Brackett who served as summer students at ORNL under the auspices of the Higher Education Research Experience (HERE) program. This research was supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Nonproliferation Research and Development, NA-22, in the National Nuclear Security Administration and by the US Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Scientific User Facilities Division.

FundersFunder number
US Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences
US Department of Energy Office of Nonproliferation Research and DevelopmentNA-22
National Nuclear Security Administration

    Keywords

    • Metal organics
    • Neutron
    • Radiation detection
    • Rare-earth
    • Scintillators
    • Single crystals

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