Preparation and characterization of cross-linked plastic scintillators

Abstract

Plastic scintillators are efficient and low-cost detectors suitable for radiation detection. Obviously and as for all detectors, plastic scintillators display both advantages and drawbacks. Among disadvantages, it is known that their use is prohibited at elevated temperatures (e.g. 100 °C) due to their organic, polymeric nature. Commercial providers recommend therefore using plastic scintillators at temperatures below 60 °C to mitigate this degradation. We wish to present herein the preparation and the characterization of plastic scintillators based from cross-linked polystyrene derivatives, which allow them stability at high temperatures (i.e. tested up to 110 °C) while maintaining their scintillation properties. Their preparation, physical characterization, and relative scintillation yield estimated by radioluminescence is reported, so as to determine the influence of the cross-linking on these properties. In addition, the materials are benchmarked with two commercial plastic scintillators from Eljen technology: all-purpose EJ-200 and cross-linked EJ-244.