A neutron scintillator based on transparent nanocrystalline CaF2:Eu glass ceramic

There are no efficient Eu2+ doped glass neutron scintillators reported due to low doping concentrations of Eu2+ and the amorphous nature of the glass matrix. In this work, an efficient CaF2:Eu glass ceramic neutron scintillator was prepared by forming CaF2:Eu nanocrystals in a 6Li-containing glass matrix. Through appropriate thermal treatments, the scintillation light yield of the transparent glass ceramic was increased by a factor of at least 46 compared to the as-cast amorphous glass. This improvement was attributed to more efficient energy transfer from the CaF2 crystals to the Eu2+ emitting centers. Further light yield improvement is expected if the refractive index of the glass matrix can be matched to the CaF2 crystal.