The design and testing of an emulsifying liquid scintillant based on cyclohexylbenzene

Abstract

The design and testing of a new emulsifying liquid scintillant for the radioassay of aqueous samples is described. The scintillant is based on cyclohexylbenzene which has a high flash point and low toxicity. A suitable combination of surfactant and cyclohexylbenzene/PPO scintillator was developed by the construction and comparison of triangular contour diagrams, as described by FOX1 for each, of several commonly-encountered aqueous sample types. The chosen olend of surfactant, cyclohexylbenzene and PPO was further refined with a second surfactant. This was achieved by the construction of a diagram of temperature v.s. water content for each of several blends, each containing a different surfactant combination. Similar diagrams were constructed to illustrate the compatibility of several aqueous sample types with the chosen composition. SCR and AESCR quench correction curves were constructed for each sample type.