Development of a gamma-ray scintillation detector based on blue-emitting oligomers and ZnO nanoparticles

We report the design of flexible, inexpensive, enduring, and efficient composite scintillation based on polystyrene (PS)/blue-emitting conjugated oligomer (CO)/ZnO nanoparticles. The oligomer utilized was 1,4-bis(9-ethyl-3-carbazo-vinylene)-9,9-dihexyl-fluorene (ADS086BE or BECV-DHF). Polystyrene was used as a matrix, and ZnO NPs were used as γ-ray stoppers. The formation of blends was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and EDS. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images showed micron-sized bun (nearly square)-shaped domains, noodle-like structures, and submicron-sized domains with square-shaped nanosized domains for PS, PS/BECV-DHF, and PS/BECV-DHF/ZnO scintillator samples. The optical properties show that PS/BECV-DHF and PS/BECV-DHF/ZnO had absorption peaks at 350 and 375 nm and fluorescence peaks at 455 nm and 475 nm, respectively. The fabricated scintillators were coupled to the R6094 Hamamatsu Photomultiplier and gamma data acquisition system based on a multichannel analyzer (MCA). Gamma spectra were measured via three gamma-ray sources, Am-241, Cs-137 and Co-60. The results show better scintillation counting in the fabricated PS/BECV-DHF/ZnO than PS/BECV-DHF and the PS sample reference samples.