Ultrafast hybrid nanocomposite scintillators: A review

In recent years, demand for scintillation detectors with high time resolution (better than 100 ps) has emerged in high-energy physics and medical imaging applications. In particular, time of flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) can greatly benefit from increasing time resolution of scintillators, which leads to the increase of signal-to-noise ratio, decrease of patient dose, and achievement of the superior spatial resolution of PET images. Currently, extensive research of various types of materials is carried out to achieve the best time resolution. In this review, the recent progress of various approaches is summarized and scintillation compounds with the best temporal characteristics are first reviewed. The review presents the physical processes causing fast luminescence in inorganic and organic materials. Special attention is paid to nanocomposites which belong to a new perspective class of scintillating materials, consisting of a plastic matrix, inorganic nanocrystalline fillers, and organic or inorganic luminescence activators and shifters. The main features and functions of all parts of existing and prospective nanocomposite scintillators are also discussed. A number of currently created and investigated nanocomposite materials with various compounds and structures are reviewed. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.Eesti Teadusagentuur, ETAg: PRG111, PRG629; European Regional Development Fund, ERDF: 2014-2020.4.01.15–0011, TK141Authors thank Minobrnauki project FEUZ-2020-0059 and Estonian Research Council (grants PRG629 and PRG111 ) for financial support. Authors are also grateful for partial support from the European Regional Development Fund (DoRA Pluss program) and the ERDF funding in Estonia granted to the Center of Excellence TK141 “ Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics ” (project No. 2014-2020.4.01.15–0011 )

Low-temperature creation of Frenkel defects via hot electron-hole recombination in highly pure NaCl single crystals

The creation spectrum of stable F centres (being part of F-H pairs of Frenkel defects) by synchrotron radiation of 7–40 eV has been measured for highly pure NaCl single crystals at 12 K using a highly sensitive luminescent method. It is shown that the efficiency of F centre creation in a closely packed NaCl is low at the decay of anion or cation excitons (7.8–8.4 and 33.4 eV, respectively) or at the recombination of relaxed conduction electrons and valence holes. Only the recombination of nonrelaxed (hot) electrons with holes provides the energy exceeding threshold value EFD, which is sufficient for the creation of Frenkel defects at low temperature

Validation of the model of TSL isothermal decay in dosimetric α-Al 2 O 3 crystals

New features of isothermal build-up of thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) related to deep traps in anion-deficient alumina single crystals are revealed. It was found that the TSL build-up at 630–750 K depends on the structure of the glow curve and is associated with the presence of a high-temperature component with T m = 700 K. Isothermal TSL build-up for the peak at 573 K is well expressed in UV-irradiated samples and is very weak after sample irradiation by a pulsed electron beam. The TSL build-up for this peak is registered for the luminescence of F centres but is absent for the emission of F 2 2+ centres and chromium ions. The obtained results confirm the validity of the kinetic model of the TSL build-up that takes into account the process of thermal ionization of the excited states of F centres in aluminum oxide. © 2019 Elsevier LtdEesti Teadusagentuur: IUT2-26, PUT PRG111Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 18-72-10082This work was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation , project No. 18-72-10082 and Estonian Research Council , projects IUT2-26 and PUT PRG111

Lattice Distortions Around a Tl+ Impurity in NaI:Tl+ and CsI:Tl+ Scintillators. An Ab Initio Study Involving Large Active Clusters

Ab initio Perturbed Ion cluster-in-the-lattice calculations of the impurity centers NaI:Tl+ and CsI:Tl+ are pressented. We study several active clusters of increasing complexity and show that the lattice relaxation around the Tl+ impurity implies the concerted movement of several shells of neighbors. The results also reveal the importance of considering a set of ions that can respond to the geometrical displacements of the inner shells by adapting selfconsistently their wave functions. Comparison with other calculations involving comparatively small active clusters serves to assert the significance of our conclusions. Contact with experiment is made by calculating absorption energies. These are in excellent agreement with the experimental data for the most realistic active clusters considered.Comment: 7 pages plus 6 postscript figures, LaTeX. Submmited to Phys, Rev.

Defect-related photoluminescence of hexagonal boron nitride

Photoluminescence of polycrystalline hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) was measured by means of time- and energy-resolved spectroscopy methods. The observed bands are related to DAP transitions, impurities and structural defects. The excitation of samples by high-energy photons above 5.4 eV enables a phenomenon of photostimulated luminescence (PSL), which is due to distantly trapped CB electrons and VB holes. These trapped charges are metastable and their reexcitation with low-energy photons results in anti-Stockes photoluminescence. The comparison of photoluminescence excitation spectra and PSL excitation spectra allows band analysis that supports the hypothesis of Frenkel-like exciton in hBN with a large binding energy

Excitation of Pr3+Pr^{3+} ions in alkaline-earth fluorides

Stoichactis helianthus toxin, a protein derived presumably from the nematocysts, was purified to homogeneity. It has a molecular weight of about 16,000, an isoelectric pH of 9.8, and it contains approximately 3.7% carbohydrate. It is powerfully hemolytic for erythrocytes derived from a variety of animal species, those of the cat being the most sensitive and those of the guinea pig the most resistant. The toxin is lytic also for rabbit blood platelets, and it destroys cultured fibroblasts but is inactive for several kinds of bacterial protoplasts and spheroplasts. The hemolytic activity is specifically inhibited by sphingomyelin, and it is proposed that this phospholipid is the constituent of the membrane which functions as receptor for the toxin. Supporting evidence includes the findings that enzymes known to destroy sphingomyelin (a) prevent erythrocyte membranes from inhibiting hemolysis, and (b) render erythrocytes resistant to lysis by the toxin. The mechanism underlying hemolysis may involve translocation of membrane sphingomyelin by virtue of a specific affinity of the coelenterate protein for this phospholipid