New Materials for Radiation Detection Applications

This is a Chemistry Department Seminar Scheduled for Thursday September 16, 2010
in the Auditorium of the Hunter Building at 4:00 pm.

The Discovery and Development of New Materials for Radiation Detection Applications
Lynn A. Boatner
Center for Radiation Detection Materials and Systems
Materials Science and Technology Division
Oak Ridge National LaboratoryOak Ridge, Tennessee 37831

Following several decades of a relatively low level of research activity, recent international events have led to a significantly increased level of interest in, and support for, research that focuses on the discovery and development of new materials for the detection of radiation. In particular, emerging applications the fields of homeland security, nuclear nonproliferation, treaty verification, and defense are placing new demands on the performance characteristics of materials and systems for both gamma ray and neutron detection. Radiation detection materials represent an extraordinarily rich cross section of materials physics that encompasses both inorganic and organic compounds, semiconductors, insulators, glasses, liquids, and gases. After a brief introduction to some of the physics of radiation detection materials, recent research at ORNL that has led to the discovery and ongoing development of new materials for radiation detection will be discussed. The topics to be considered will include new high performance halide scintillator single crystals, new rare-earth metal organic single crystals for use in both gamma ray and high-energy neutron detection, glass scintillators, and recent materials challenges associated with the current critical shortage of helium-3 for use in neutron detection.