Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection
There exists an ongoing need to develop and improve methods of detecting radioactive materials. As each radioactive isotope leaves a unique mark in a form of the particles it emits, new materials capable of detecting and measuring these particles are constantly sought. Neutrons and their detectors p...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Crystals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/9/9/480 |
| _version_ | 1811307427735273472 |
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| author | Michał J. Cieślak Kelum A. A. Gamage Robert Glover |
| author_facet | Michał J. Cieślak Kelum A. A. Gamage Robert Glover |
| author_sort | Michał J. Cieślak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There exists an ongoing need to develop and improve methods of detecting radioactive materials. As each radioactive isotope leaves a unique mark in a form of the particles it emits, new materials capable of detecting and measuring these particles are constantly sought. Neutrons and their detectors play a significant role in areas such as nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning and decontamination, border security, nuclear proliferation and nuclear medicine. Owing to the complexity of their detection, as well as scarcity of <sup>3</sup>He, which has historically been the preferred choice for neutron detection in many application fields, new sensitive materials are sought. Organic and inorganic scintillating crystals have been recognised as particularly good alternatives, and as such systems that utilise them are increasingly common. As they allow investigation of the neutron energy spectra, greater information about the radioactive source can be inferred. Therefore, in this article, an extensive review of scintillating crystals used for neutron detection is presented. By describing the history of scintillating crystals and discussing changes that occurred in their use and development of methods for radiation detection, the authors present a comprehensive overview of the current situation. Supported by a practical example, possible future directions of the research area are also presented. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:04:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b86060d9ccb43d39da90ceac27f1123 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:04:11Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b86060d9ccb43d39da90ceac27f11232022-12-22T02:53:02ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522019-09-019948010.3390/cryst9090480cryst9090480Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron DetectionMichał J. Cieślak0Kelum A. A. Gamage1Robert Glover2Engineering Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UKSchool of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UKRadiometric Systems Group, Sellafield Ltd., Seascale CA20 1PG, UKThere exists an ongoing need to develop and improve methods of detecting radioactive materials. As each radioactive isotope leaves a unique mark in a form of the particles it emits, new materials capable of detecting and measuring these particles are constantly sought. Neutrons and their detectors play a significant role in areas such as nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning and decontamination, border security, nuclear proliferation and nuclear medicine. Owing to the complexity of their detection, as well as scarcity of <sup>3</sup>He, which has historically been the preferred choice for neutron detection in many application fields, new sensitive materials are sought. Organic and inorganic scintillating crystals have been recognised as particularly good alternatives, and as such systems that utilise them are increasingly common. As they allow investigation of the neutron energy spectra, greater information about the radioactive source can be inferred. Therefore, in this article, an extensive review of scintillating crystals used for neutron detection is presented. By describing the history of scintillating crystals and discussing changes that occurred in their use and development of methods for radiation detection, the authors present a comprehensive overview of the current situation. Supported by a practical example, possible future directions of the research area are also presented.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/9/9/480scintillatorsscintillating crystalsneutron detectorsgamma detectors<sup>3</sup>He deficit |
| spellingShingle | Michał J. Cieślak Kelum A. A. Gamage Robert Glover Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection Crystals scintillators scintillating crystals neutron detectors gamma detectors <sup>3</sup>He deficit |
| title | Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection |
| title_full | Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection |
| title_fullStr | Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection |
| title_short | Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection |
| title_sort | critical review of scintillating crystals for neutron detection |
| topic | scintillators scintillating crystals neutron detectors gamma detectors <sup>3</sup>He deficit |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/9/9/480 |
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