Photonic Materials Technology Section (PMTS)

Photonic & Detector Materials Laboratory (PDML)

Trans-stilbene (TSB) crystals are important for the detection of high energy photons and neutrons through the process of scintillation. To fulfil the requirement of large area scintillator detector elements, TSB/PMMA composites have been developed. These composites are a new class of material for scintillator-based detection of high-energy radiations and can be prepared in a relatively simpler manner as compared to the single crystals. Using the optimal parameters, the TSB/PMMA composites having different TSB concentrations, up to a maximum of 35 wt% TSB, have been successfully fabricated. The fabricated composites were stable at room temperature, optically homogeneous, and transparent in a wide spectral range. The device relevant properties of the synthesized TSB/PMMA plastic scintillator, important for their deployment in optical imaging applications have been investigated. Thin wafers of 0.5 mm thickness having different TSB concentrations were fabricated and used for demonstrating x-ray imaging with a resolution of 100 μm, using x-ray imaging beamline of Indus-2 synchrotron radiation facility. The results demonstrate that TSB/PMMA composite is a potential plastic scintillator material for x-ray imaging and neutron scintillation applications.

Wire mesh object imaged using x-ray luminescence from TSB/PMMA composites having (a) 5 wt%, (b) 10 wt%, (c) 15 wt%, (d) 20 wt% (e) 25 wt%, (f) 30 wt%, and (g) 35 wt% TSB concentration respectively ,[IEEE Trans. Nuclear Science, 71 (11) (Nov. 2024) 2432-2441; J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 36, 793 (2025)]