ARI-MA Scale-up to Success: Pioneering Crystal Growth of Large High Resolution Scintillators

ARI-MA 成功扩大规模：开创性的大型高分辨率闪烁体晶体生长

• 批准号: 1139918
• 负责人: Mariya Zhuravleva
• 金额: $ 37.99万
• 依托单位: University of Tennessee Knoxville
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-10-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1139918&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ARI; MA; Scale; up; Success

The Scintillation Materials Research Center at the University of Tennessee will carry out research that addresses a critical need in national security. Currently the ability to detect radioactive materials at border crossings and ports of entry is limited by the availability and cost of the materials that are used as radiation sensors. This research will address fundamental aspects of manufacturing technology that directly impact the affordability of the high performance detection materials that are needed for effective high speed scanning of cargo. Innovative synthesis techniques will be developed with the goal of improving the sensitivity and lowering the cost of materials that have the capability of uniquely identifying specific nuclear threats. If successful, this technology will yield improvements in both efficiency and sensitivity of nuclear threat detection as well as significant increases in availability and affordability. The same nuclear detection technology is likely to also find applications to other areas serving the public interest including nuclear medicine and sensors used in the exploration for energy reserves.Specifically, the Scintillation Materials Research Center will address a grand challenge in radiation detection by developing crystal growth technology aimed at enabling the production of large size ( 1 cubic inch) gamma-ray scintillators with less than 1% energy resolution at 662 keV. The properties of currently available detection materials limit the performance of radiation detection systems. For most gamma and neutron detection applications, these materials must be available in large size at a reasonable cost while maintaining the required energy resolution to unambiguously identify various nuclear signatures. For gamma-ray and neutron detection applications, scintillators currently offer more options for room temperature operation and large-scale production while semiconductors tend to have better energy resolution. New fundamental understanding of the materials properties of recently discovered scintillators will be coupled with numerical simulations of fluid flow and heat/mass transport to drive the design of new crystal growth furnaces and new growth protocols aimed at demonstrating the potential of large scale production. The effort will focus on recently discovered scintillators that appear to have inherent advantages for large-scale production. A key strategy of the program is the tight integration of research and education that will provide opportunities for students to develop a deeper knowledge, expertise, and appreciation of this important field.

田纳西大学的闪烁材料研究中心将开展研究，解决国家安全的关键需求。 目前，在过境点和入境口岸探测放射性材料的能力受到用作辐射传感器的材料的供应和成本的限制。 这项研究将解决制造技术的基本方面，直接影响有效高速扫描货物所需的高性能检测材料的可负担性。 将开发创新的合成技术，以提高具有独特识别特定核威胁能力的材料的灵敏度并降低其成本。 如果成功，这项技术将提高核威胁探测的效率和灵敏度，并大大提高可用性和可负担性。 同样的核探测技术也可能应用于其他服务于公众利益的领域，包括核医学和用于勘探能源储备的传感器。闪烁材料研究中心将通过开发晶体生长技术来应对辐射探测方面的巨大挑战，该技术旨在实现大尺寸晶体的生产662千电子伏能量分辨率低于1%的（1立方英寸）伽马射线衰减器。 目前可用的探测材料的性质限制了辐射探测系统的性能。 对于大多数伽马和中子探测应用，这些材料必须以合理的成本获得大尺寸，同时保持所需的能量分辨率，以明确识别各种核特征。 对于伽马射线和中子探测应用，半导体目前提供了更多的室温操作和大规模生产的选择，而半导体往往具有更好的能量分辨率。对最近发现的结晶器材料特性的新的基本理解将与流体流动和热/质传输的数值模拟相结合，以推动新晶体生长炉的设计和旨在展示大规模生产潜力的新生长协议。 这项工作将集中在最近发现的似乎具有大规模生产固有优势的制冷剂上。 该计划的一个关键战略是研究和教育的紧密结合，这将为学生提供机会，发展更深入的知识，专业知识和欣赏这一重要领域。