Characterisation of potassium bromide loaded with dysprosium fluoride nanocrystals for neutron detection
by Antonio C. Rivera; Natasha N. Glazener; Nathaniel C. Cook; Brian A. Akins; Leisha M. Armijo; John B. Plumley; Nathan J. Withers; Ken Carpenter; Gennady A. Smolyakov; Robert D. Busch; Marek Osiński
International Journal of Nanotechnology (IJNT), Vol. 11, No. 5/6/7/8, 2014

Abstract: We explore a novel concept of passive optically-enabled detection of thermal neutrons that exploits transmutation of ¹⁶⁴Dy into ¹⁶⁵Ho. The concept relies on significant differences in optical properties of Dy and Ho and on our ability to find the most sensitive optical method of differentiating between Dy and Ho. While the concept applies equally well to bulk materials and to nanocrystals (NCs), the nanocrystalline approach is much more attractive due to its significantly lower cost, relative ease of colloidal synthesis of high quality NCs with controlled composition, and superior optical and mechanical properties of NCs compared to their bulk counterparts. One particular advantage of NCs for neutron detection is that in principle they can be integrated into a transparent host without causing optical scattering. Since Ho is known to have strong emission lines in mid-infrared, we considered potassium bromide (KBr), transparent in mid-IR spectral range, to be a suitable host for Dy-containing NCs. Here, we report on synthesis and characterisation of DyF₃:10%Ce, HoF₃:10%Ce, and DyF₃:10%Ho,10%Ce NCs, their insertion into KBr matrix, and optical characterisation of the obtained nanocomposites, both non-irradiated and subjected to neutron irradiation.

Online publication date: Mon, 15-Dec-2014

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Nanotechnology (IJNT):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com