Solution-Grown Organic Crystals for Neutron Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited availability and high cost of stilbene and other melt-grown crystals for radiation detectors pose a challenge in radiation detection technology, as they are difficult to obtain and expensive to produce using traditional methods.
Innovation Solution
Solution-grown organic crystals, such as 1-1-4-4-tetraphenyl-1-3-butadiene, 2-fluorobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid, and 9-10-diphenylanthracene, are developed using common solvents like water or toluene, which can be grown to large sizes and exhibit signal response signatures for neutron detection, enabling cost-effective production and improved access to these materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If melt growth method is used to produce stilbene crystals, then crystal quality and size are improved, but production cost and difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental growth parameter from melt-based to solution-based growth. This involves dissolving the organic compound (stilbene or alternatives) in a suitable solvent and allowing crystallization from the solution, which fundamentally alters the manufacturing process while maintaining crystal quality and reducing production difficulty
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs common, inexpensive solvents (water, toluene, ethanol, acetone) as the growth medium instead of requiring specialized melt growth equipment and conditions. These solvents are cheap, readily available, and can be easily disposed of or recycled, dramatically reducing manufacturing cost and complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If melt growth method is used to produce stilbene crystals, then crystal quality is improved, but availability and cost-effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
By changing from melt growth to solution growth parameters, the invention enables scalable production using simple equipment. The solution growth method allows for larger batch sizes and easier replication, directly improving material availability while maintaining crystal quality through controlled crystallization conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses universal, common solvents (water, toluene, ethanol, acetone) that are readily available and can be used for growing multiple different organic crystal types. This universality dramatically increases production capacity and material availability across different crystal types without requiring specialized equipment or procedures
3Reliability
If expensive melt grown crystals are used, then detection performance is maintained, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces expensive melt growth processes with cheap solution growth using common solvents. The solvents (water, toluene, ethanol, acetone) cost fractions of a cent per liter, and the simple crystallization process requires no specialized equipment, reducing production cost from thousands to potentially dozens of dollars per crystal while maintaining detection performance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates functional copies of high-performance stilbene crystals using alternative organic compounds (1-1-4-4-tetraphenyl-1-3-butadiene, 2-fluorobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid, 9-10-diphenylanthracene) that can be grown from solution. These copy crystals replicate the neutron detection capability of stilbene while being much cheaper to produce
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These solution-grown crystals demonstrate pulse shape discrimination properties comparable to stilbene, allowing for effective differentiation between neutron and gamma radiation, thus enhancing radiation detection capabilities while reducing production costs and increasing material availability.
Implementation Method 1
The present invention relates to radiation detection, and more particularly to solution-grown crystals for neutron radiation detectors
Implementation Method 2
The mechanism by which this occurs begins with intersystem crossing (ISC), where the excited singlet state (S1) nonradiatively relaxes to the excited triplet (T1)
Implementation Method 3
the energy migrates until two triplets collide and experience an Auger upconversion process
Implementation Method 4
A method according to one embodiment includes growing an organic crystal from solution
Data Source
AI summary
A method according to one embodiment includes growing an organic crystal from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source. A system according to one embodiment includes an organic crystal having physical characteristics of formation from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source; and a photodetector for detecting the signal response of the organic crystal. A method according to another embodiment includes growing an organic crystal from solution, the organic crystal being large enough to exhibit a detectable signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source. An organic crystal according to another embodiment includes an organic crystal having physical characteristics of formation from solution, the organic crystal exhibiting a signal response signature for neutrons from a radioactive source, wherein the organic crystal has a length of greater than about 1 mm in one dimension.