Purpose. The technology was developed to produce silver-activated zinc sulfide powder (ZnS:Ag) for detecting alpha particles and neutrons, used as a scintillator composition for combined scintillation elements in detectors for radiation monitoring and radiation safety systems.
Technical Properties. The technology enables the production of high-quality ZnS:Ag scintillator powder for the simultaneous detection of alpha particles and neutrons with the additional use of converters containing lithium (Li) or boron (B).
Applications. Inorganic substance technology, powder scintillator production.
Advantages. The technology enables the production of ZnS:Ag scintillator powder for the simultaneous detection of alpha particles and neutrons with the additional use of converters, while maintaining a high level of light yield, energy resolution, and short illumination time compared to similar products.
Technical and Economic Benefits. The use of films, thin layers, and luminescent dyes based on the obtained ZnS:Ag scintillator significantly simplifies the creation of alpha particle and neutron detectors, as well as reduces the costs of manufacturing and operating detectors for radiation monitoring and radiation safety.
Description. Powders of zinc sulfide (ZnS), a mixture of silver chloride (AgCl), sodium chloride (NaCl), and sulfur (S) are dried under vacuum. The dried starting materials (ZnS; AgCl; NaCl; S) are weighed and thoroughly mixed. The resulting mixture is placed in a sealed crucible for synthesis. Synthesis is carried out under high vacuum conditions with a gradual increase in temperature every 2 hours according to the following schedule: 115°C, 460°C, and 800°C. After holding at 800°C, the crucible is cooled naturally to normal conditions. The resulting material is washed with a 5% sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) solution, then with distilled water, and dried. To manufacture a neutron-detecting scintillator, the resulting ZnS:Ag powder is coated with a converter containing boron (B) or lithium (Li) and dried again.