Development of ZnTe Powder Phosphor for Protein Crystallographic X-ray Detectors

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议开发一种用于蛋白质晶体学的X射线探测器的新磷光体，该磷光体可用于家庭实验室和同步加速器光束线。磷光体ZnTe：O将比目前几乎普遍用于这种检测器系统的常规Gd2O2S：Tb亮至少3倍。ZnTe：O也将具有比Gd2O2S：Tb更快的时间响应。ZnTe在化学上与ZnSe相似，PhosphorTech已经成功开发出一种优异的磷光体ZnSe：Cu，Cl。ZnSe：Cu，Cl现在是由PhosphorTech分销的商业产品。ZnSe：Cu，Cl已被Bruker AXS Inc.使用了6年。（麦迪逊，WI）的化学晶体学CCD探测器。布鲁克公司在美国和欧洲销售的化学晶体仪器占全部产品的近90%，而我们的ZnSe荧光粉是其产品成功的重要原因，因为它深受布鲁克公司客户的喜爱。然而，由于它含有硒，这种磷光体不适合蛋白质晶体学，其中硒是异常色散定相的优选元素。在用于定相的X射线能量（12，658 eV）处存在吸收异常，将破坏这些测量。ZnTe将解决这个问题，因为碲的吸收异常是在不同的X射线能量（4，341 eV和31，814 eV）。理论上，ZnTe磷光体应该与ZnSe磷光体一样亮或更亮。然而，由于碲比硒更具有化学反应性，因此更难处理。因此，我们初步的努力，使ZnTe：O磷光体产生的材料，最初是非常明亮的，但在水蒸气的存在下，缓慢氧化，合成后不久。在该项目的第一阶段，我们将找到提高ZnTe：0固有亮度的方法，并对新合成的ZnTe：O粉末进行钝化和保护，以防止材料的化学劣化。我们预计，在第二阶段，我们将开发的手段，生产商业数量的这种稳定的粉末，并制造大型，高品质的荧光屏，可用于商业CCD检测器的蛋白质晶体。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop a new phosphor for X-ray detectors used in protein crystallography, which can be used both in the home laboratory and at synchrotron beamlines. The phosphor, ZnTe:O, will be at least 3 times brighter than the conventional Gd2O2S:Tb currently used almost universally on such detector systems. ZnTe:O will also have a faster time response than Gd2O2S:Tb. ZnTe is chemically similar to ZnSe, with which PhosphorTech has already successfully developed an excellent phosphor, ZnSe:Cu,CI. ZnSe:Cu,CI is now a commercial product distributed by PhosphorTech. ZnSe:Cu,CI has been used for the past 6 years by Bruker AXS Inc. of Madison, Wl for its chemical crystallography CCD detectors. Bruker sells almost 90% of all chemical crystallography instruments in the USA and Europe, and our ZnSe phosphor has been an important reason for the success of their product, since it is well liked by Bruker customers. However, since it contains selenium, this phosphor is inappropriate for protein crystallography, in which selenium is the preferred element for anomalous dispersion phasing. The presence of an absorption anomaly at exactly the X-ray energy (12,658eV) used for phasing, would ruin these measurements. ZnTe will solve this problem, since the tellurium absorption anomalies are at different X-ray energies (4,341eV and 31,814eV). Theoretically ZnTe phosphors should be as bright, or brighter, than ZnSe phosphors. However, since tellurium is more chemically reactive than selenium, it is more difficult to work with. Thus our preliminary efforts to make a ZnTe:O phosphor have resulted in material that is initially very bright, but slowly oxidizes in the presence of water vapor, shortly after synthesis. During Phase I of this project, we will find methods to increase the inherent brightness of ZnTe:0, and to passivate and protect newly synthesized ZnTe:O powder, to prevent chemical deterioration of the material. We anticipate that in Phase II we will develop the means to produce commercial quantities of this stabilized powder, and fabricate large, high quality phosphor screens that can be used in commercial CCD detectors for protein crystallography.