The University of Tennessee Research Foundation

Luis Stand

Charles L Melcher

Mariya Zhuravleva

Hua Wei

Kan Yang

Merry A Koschan

Yuntao Wu

Daniel Joseph Rutstrom

Adam Coleman Lindsey

Inorganic halides (e.g., inorganic halide scintillators) of the general formula ABX, including inorganic halides comprising thallium monovalent cations and/or combinations of different halides, are described. Radiation detectors including the inorganic halide scintillators and methods of using the detectors to detect high energy radiation are also described. In some cases, the scintillators can include a gadolinium cation, a boron cation, a lithium cation, a chloride ion, or combinations thereof and the scintillator can be used to detect neutrons.

Tl+-based and mixed halide A3B2X9-type scintillators

Mixed halide scintillation materials of the general formula ABMX'X&#x2033;, where 0&#x2264;y&#x2264;1, 0.05&#x2264;w&#x2264;1, A may be an alkali metal, B may be an alkali earth metal, and X&#x2032; and X&#x2033; may be two different halogen atoms, and of the general formula ABMX&#x2032;X&#x2033;, where 0&#x2264;y&#x2264;1, 0.05&#x2264;w&#x2264;1, A maybe an alkali metal, B may be an alkali earth metal, and X&#x2032; and X&#x2033; are two different halogen atoms. The scintillation materials of formula (1) include a divalent external activator, M, such as Euor Yb. The scintillation materials of formula (2) include a monovalent external activator, M, such as Tl, Naand In.

Mixed halide scintillators radiation detection

Metal halide optical materials (e.g., scintillator materials or persistent phosphors) are described. More particularly, the optical materials include codoped perovskite-type halides, wherein the codoping ion is present at a molar ratio of 5000 parts per million (ppm) or less with respect to all cations. For example, the optical material can be a codoped trihalide having the formula ABXwhere A is one or more alkali metal, B is one or more alkali earth metal, and X is one or more halide that is doped with up to about 10 atomic percent of a dopant ion and codoped with up to about 5000 ppm of one or more isovalent or aliovalent codopant ion, such as a tetravalent ion (e.g., Zr), a trivalent ion (e.g., Sc, Y, Gd, or Laion) or a divalent ion (e.g., Mg). The codoped material can have modified afterglow compared to a noncodoped material.

Perovskite-type halides and methods thereof

Mixed halide scintillators for radiation detection

Mixed halide scintillation materials of a first general formula ABMX'X&#x2033;and a second general formula ABMX&#x2032;X&#x2033;are disclosed. In the general formulas, A is an alkali metal, B is an alkaline earth metal, and X&#x2032; and X&#x2033; are two different halogen atoms. Scintillation materials of the first general formula include a divalent external activator M such as Euor Ybor a trivalent external activator M such as Ce. Scintillation materials of the second general formula include a monovalent external activator M such as In, Na, or Tlor a trivalent external activator such as Ce.

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Metal halide scintillators are described. More particularly, the scintillators include Tl and/or In-based ternary metal halides, such as those of the formulas ABXand ABX, wherein A is an alkali metal, such as Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs or any combination thereof; B is an alkali earth metal, such as Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba or any combination thereof; X is a halide, such as Cl, Br, I, F or any combination thereof; some or all of A has been replaced by Tl and/or In, and some or all of B has been replaced by another dopant, such as Eu, Ce, Tb, Yb, and Pr. Radiation detectors comprising the metal halide scintillators are also described.

Ternary metal halide scintillators

Metal halide scintillators are described. More particularly, the scintillators include doped (e.g., europium-doped) ternary metal halides, such as those of the formulas ABXand ABX, wherein A is an alkali metal, such as Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs or any combination thereof; B is an alkali earth metal, such as Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba or any combination thereof; and X is a halide, such as Cl, Br, I, F or any combination thereof. Radiation detectors comprising the novel metal halide scintillators and other ternary metal halides, such as those of the formulas AEuXand AEuX, wherein A is an alkali metal and X is a halide, are also described.

The present disclosure is directed to a group of newly discovered intrinsic scintillation compounds. As intrinsic scintillators, these compounds do not require an external activator as a dopant. The new scintillators may include members of two elpasolite families with the general exemplary formulas of ABMXX'and AMXX&#x2032;, (0&#x3c;y&#x3c;6). Component A may include at least one element selected from the group consisting alkali elements and thallium (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs and Tl); Component B may include at least one element, different from the at least one element of component A, selected from the group consisting alkali elements (Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs); Component M may include at least one element selected from the group consisting tri-valence elements (La, Gd, Lu, Bi, Y); Component X may include at least one element selected from the group consisting halide elements (F, Cl, Br and I); Component X&#x2032; may include at least one element, different from the at least one element of component X, selected from the group consisting halide elements (F, Cl, Br and I). The value of y may be in a range between 0 and 6 non-inclusively (i.e. 0&#x3c;y&#x3c;6, or y={1, 2, 3, 4, 5}).

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Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Luis Stand