Polymeric composite scintillators and method for making same
First Claim
1. A scintillator comprising:
- a plastic matrix; and
nano-scale particles of a scintillation material;
wherein a coating comprising a small molecule ligand is disposed on each nano-scale particle, the ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane; and
wherein the coated nano-scale particles are embedded in the plastic matrix.
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Abstract
A scintillation detector comprising nano-scale particles of a scintillation compound embedded in a plastic matrix is provided. The nano-scale particles may be made from metal oxides, metal oxyhalides, metal oxysulfides, or metal halides. Methods are provided for preparing the nano-scale particles. The particles may be coated with organic compounds or polymers prior to incorporation in the plastic matrix. A technique for matching the refractive index of the plastic matrix with the nano-scale particles by incorporating nano-scale particles of titanium dioxide is also provided. The scintillator may be coupled with one or more photodetectors to form a scintillation detection system. The scintillation detection system may be adapted for use in X-ray and radiation imaging devices, such as digital X-ray imaging, mammography, CT, PET, or SPECT, or may be used in radiation security detectors or subterranean radiation detectors.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A scintillator comprising:
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a plastic matrix; and nano-scale particles of a scintillation material; wherein a coating comprising a small molecule ligand is disposed on each nano-scale particle, the ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane; and wherein the coated nano-scale particles are embedded in the plastic matrix. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A scintillation detection system comprising:
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a plastic matrix; nano-scale particles of a scintillation material, wherein a coating comprising a small molecule ligand is disposed on each nano-scale particle, the ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane, and wherein the coated nano-scale particles are embedded in the plastic matrix; and one or more photodetectors attached to the plastic matrix, wherein the one or more photodetectors are configured to detect photons generated in the plastic matrix. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A radiation detection and analysis system comprising:
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a scintillation detection system comprising; a scintillator including; a plastic matrix; and nano-scale particles of a scintillation material, wherein a coating comprising a small molecule ligand is disposed on each nano-scale particle, the ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane, and wherein the coated nano-scale particles are embedded in the plastic matrix; a light detection apparatus attached to the scintillator and configured to generate signals in response to photons generated by the scintillator; and a signal processing system configured to analyze the signals generated by the scintillation detection system. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for manufacturing a scintillation detector comprises:
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coating nano-scale particles with a small molecule ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane, wherein the nano-scale particles comprise a scintillation material; embedding the nano-scale particles in a plastic matrix; and attaching a photodetector system to the plastic matrix, wherein the photodetector system comprises one or more elements configured to convert photons to electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification