Preparation and performance of plastic scintillators with copper iodide complex-loaded for radiation detection.

The development of plastic scintillators loaded with low-cost phosphorescent sensitizer is currently an important topic toward enhancing the scintillation light yield for radiation detection applications. In this work, we report plastic scintillators loaded with deep-blue-emitting phosphorescent sensitizer CuI(PPh 3) 2 (t -BuPy), where PPh 3 and t -BuPy stand for triphenylphosphine and 4- tert -butylpyridine, respectively. CuI(PPh 3) 2 (t -BuPy)-loaded poly(vinyltoluene)-based plastic scintillators with high optical transmittance of over 80% were synthesized via bulk polymerization method. The optical absorption, photoluminescence spectra, decay kinetics, and scintillation performance under X-ray, γ-ray, and α-particle excitation were comprehensively investigated. The scintillation yield was reduced with the increase of CuI(PPh 3) 2 (t -BuPy) loading concentration. The physical mechanism and the role of the copper iodide complex in scintillation yield reduction are proposed. [Display omitted] • Poly(vinyltoluene)-based plastic scintillators loaded with phosphorescent sensitizer CuI(PPh 3) 2 (t -BuPy) were synthesized. • The scintillation yield of PVT scintillators is reduced with the increase of CuI(PPh 3) 2 (t -BuPy) loading concentration. • The scintillation yield reduction is associated with the nonradiative dissipation of energy from CuI(PPh 3) 2 (t -BuPy). • Plastic scintillator containing only CuI(PPh 3) 2 (t -BuPy) showed α/γ PSD performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]