Development and characterization of nanocomposite scintillators for gamma-ray detection

Nanocomposite scintillators consist of nanoparticles of an inorganic scintillator dispersed in a matrix material. This technique is particularly well suited for applications requiring large or unusually shaped detectors, since these can be fabricated without requiring the growth of large crystals and using an inexpensive matrix. Nanocomposite scintillators may additionally make it possible to use scintillating materials not currently available in large sizes and quantities. Los Alamos National Laboratory is currently conducting a large nanocomposite scintillator development program. Several potential scintillator materials have been identified. We have successfully fabricated nanoparticles, for example CeF3, with sizes ≪ 10 nm and dispersed them in an optimized liquid scintillator solution and in several polymers. We have measured their size, structure, and radiation detection characteristics and have found good agreement between their scattering behavior and a Rayleigh scattering model. Current research results will be presented.