Nanoparticle Radiation Detector

(ROI #2005-22)

Description

  • An inexpensive thin film based particle specific radiation detection platform. Charge conversion nanoparticles are imbedded in a polymer scintillator. By tailoring the nanoparticle species, this thin film can be optimized for neutron, gamma, x-ray, or beta particle detection.
  • This film is manufactured from a resin; it can be lithographically patterned, or cast.
  • The nanoparticles convert the impinging particle radiation into fast electrons through nuclear or photoelectric methods. These fast electrons are converted into optical pulses by the polymer scintillator. These optical pulses are measured with off the shelf photomultiplier tubes.

Advantages

  • This radiation detection platform is CMOS compatible and inexpensive to manufacture. The resin is spin-coatable, patternable, and castable at low temperatures without the risk of damaging existing solid state devices with the chemical compound.
  • The small radii of the nanoparticles allow for higher doping levels than past alloyed detector compounds, resulting in smaller detectors that provide better detection specificity.
  • Top industry leaders all utilize scintillation technology for radiation detection. This detector platform also utilizes off the shelf scintillating resin which allows for rapid commercialization.
  • Since the resin produces a characteristic light pulse, an off the shelf photo multiplier tube is utilized for the detection and amplification of the created light pulse.
  • Extremely small radiation detectors can be made with this technology, which would be concealable.

Areas of Application

  • Detection of concealed fissionable material/nuclear weapons:

Nuclear weapons grade plutonium, and other fissionable material emits neutrons, not much else does. These materials also emit gamma radiation. By measuring relative fluxes, specific isotope information can be obtained.

  • Nuclear reactor monitoring:

Energy producing reactor cycles emit different radiation fluxes than weapons grade isotope production. Small clandestine radiation detectors could monitor foreign reactors for treaty violations.

  • Oilfield wellhead monitoring:

Deep sea oil wells are prone to paraffin build-up, which clogs them, resulting in downtime. Neutron sources and detectors are used to monitor the wax buildup.

  • Biomedical and biological area:

Radiation is used for a variety of applications in the biomedical industry, detectors would find wide usage.

Patent Status

  • Patent Application pending.

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