Poly (ether sulfone) as a scintillation material for radiation detection

Hidehito Nakamura*, Yoshiyuki Shirakawa, Hisashi Kitamura, Nobuhiro Sato, Sentaro Takahashi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Considerable attention has been drawn to the advantages of using aromatic ring polymers for scintillation materials in radiation detection. Thus, it is important to identify and characterise those with the best potential. Here, we characterise poly (ether sulfone) (PES), which is an amber-coloured transparent resin that possesses sulfur as a main component and has a density of 1.37g/cm3. PES emits short-wavelength light with a 350-nm maximum. By taking into account its emission spectrum, we demonstrate that its effective refractive index is 1.74. Light yield distributions generated by 137Cs and 207Bi radioactive sources were obtained. PES has a light yield that is 2.21 times that of poly (ethylene terephthalate), and 0.31 times that of poly (ethylene naphthalate). The energy response to 5486keV alpha particles emitted from 241Am was 546±81keV electron equivalents (keVee), while the energy resolution was 17.0±0.1%. The energy response to 6118keV alpha particles emitted from 252Cf was 598±83keVee, while the energy resolution was 16.0±0.1%. Overall, PES has potential for use as a scintillation material in radiation detection.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)36-40
Number of pages5
JournalApplied Radiation and Isotopes
Volume86
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014 Apr
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Alpha response
  • Aromatic ring polymer
  • Light yield
  • Poly (ether sulfone)
  • Refractive index

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiation

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