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arXiv · 2408.01340

On the origin of the light yield enhancement in polymeric composite scintillators loaded with dense nanoparticles

Irene Villa·Angelo Monguzzi·Roberto Lorenzi·Matteo Orfano·Vladimir Babin·František Hájek·Karla Kuldová·Romana Kučerková·Alena Beitlerová·Ilaria Mattei·Hana Buresova·Radek Pjatkan·Václav Čuba·Lenka Prouzová Procházková·Martin Nikl
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Abstract

Fast emitting polymeric scintillators are requested in advanced applications where high-speed detectors with large signal-to-noise ratio are needed. However, their low density implies a weak stopping power of high energy radiations, thus a limited light output and sensitivity. To enhance their performances, polymeric scintillators can be loaded with dense nanoparticles (NPs). We investigate the properties of a series of polymeric scintillators by means of photoluminescence and scintillation spectroscopy, comparing standard scintillators with a composite system loaded with dense hafnium dioxide (HfO2) NPs. The nanocomposite shows a scintillation yield enhancement of +100% with unchanged time response. We provide for the first time an interpretation of this effect, pointing out the local effect of NPs in the generation of emissive states upon interaction with the ionizing radiation. The obtained results indicate that coupling of fast conjugated emitters with optically inert dense NPs could allow to surpass the actual limits of pure polymeric scintillators.

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Irene Villa, Angelo Monguzzi, Roberto Lorenzi, Matteo Orfano, Vladimir Babin, František Hájek, Karla Kuldová, Romana Kučerková, Alena Beitlerová, Ilaria Mattei, Hana Buresova, Radek Pjatkan, Václav Čuba, Lenka Prouzová Procházková, Martin Nikl. 2024-08-02. On the origin of the light yield enhancement in polymeric composite scintillators loaded with dense nanoparticles. https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.01340

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