Coumarins as wavelength shifters in polystyrene

A series of commercially available coumarins was tested as wavelength shifters in polystyrene for a tile/fiber calorimeter application. The objective was to find a compound that when incorporated in a polystyrene matrix absorbed in the 400–450 nm wavelength range, fluoresced in the green region of the visible spectrum (λem = 450−550 nm), and exhibited both short decay time and high quantum yield. Transmittance, fluorescence, and decay time determinations were performed in order to characterize each coumarin in polystyrene. Two coumarins (C510 and C515) were found to have faster decay times (∼8 ns vs. 12 ns) and superior light output (100–120%) compared to the commonly-used green wavelength shifter, K-27.