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结晶学的X射线探测器的新荧光粉，该荧光粉既可用于家庭实验室，也可用于同步加速器光束线。这种荧光粉，ZnTe：O，将比目前这种探测器系统上几乎普遍使用的传统Gd2O2S：Tb至少亮3倍。与Gd2O2S：Tb相比，ZnTe：O具有更快的时间响应。ZnTe与ZnSe具有相似的化学结构，利用它已成功地研制出了一种性能优良的荧光粉：ZnSe：Cu，CI。锌硒：铜，氯化锌现在是磷化技术公司经销的商业产品。在过去的6年里，西兰州麦迪逊的Bruker AXS公司一直在使用ZnSe：Cu，CI作为其化学结晶学CCD探测器。布鲁克在美国和欧洲销售几乎90%的化学晶体仪器，我们的锌硒荧光粉是他们产品成功的重要原因，因为它深受布鲁克客户的喜爱。然而，由于它含有硒，这种荧光粉不适合用于蛋白质结晶学，因为在蛋白质结晶学中，硒是反常弥散相的首选元素。如果在用于定相的X射线能量(12,658 eV)处出现吸收异常，将会破坏这些测量。由于碲的吸收异常具有不同的X射线能量(4,341 eV和31,814 eV)，因此ZnTe将解决这一问题。从理论上讲，ZnTe的荧光粉应该和ZnSe的荧光粉一样亮，或者更亮。然而，由于碲的化学活性比硒更强，因此更难处理。因此，我们初步努力制造了一种ZnTe：O荧光粉，这种材料一开始非常明亮，但在合成后不久，在水蒸气存在下就会慢慢氧化。在本项目的第一阶段，我们将寻找方法来提高ZnTe：0的固有亮度，并对新合成的ZnTe：O粉末进行钝化和保护，以防止材料的化学变质。我们预计，在第二阶段，我们将开发出生产这种稳定粉末的商业批量的方法，并制造大型、高质量的荧光屏，这些荧光屏可以用于商用的蛋白质结晶学CCD探测器。

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.