Integrated and Portable Probe Based on Functional Plastic Scintillator for Detection of Radioactive Cesium

• Main Authors: Sujung Min, Hara Kang, Bumkyung Seo, Changhyun Roh, Sangbum Hong, Jaehak Cheong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: detection; integrated portable probe; Cs-137; plastic scintillator; simulation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5210

The highly reliable and direct detection of radioactive cesium has gained potential interest due to in-situ detection and monitoring in environments. In this study, we elucidated an integrated and portable probe based on functional plastic scintillator for detection of radioactive cesium. A functional plastic scintillator with improved detection efficiency was fabricated including CdTe (cadmium telluride) material. Monolith-typed functional plastic scintillator having a diameter of 50 mm and a thickness of 30 mm was manufactured by adding 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO, 0.4 wt%), 1,4 di[2-(5phenyloxazolyl)]benzene (POPOP, 0.01 wt%), and CdTe (0.2 wt%) materials in a styrene-based matrix. To evaluate the applicability of the plastic scintillator manufactured to in-situ radiological measurement, an integrated plastic detection system was created, and the measurement experiment was performed using the Cs-137 radiation source. Additionally, detection efficiency was compared with a commercial plastic scintillator. As results, the efficiency and light yield of a functional plastic scintillator including CdTe were higher than a commercial plastic scintillator. Furthermore, the remarkable performance of the functional plastic scintillator was confirmed through comparative analysis with Monte Carlo simulation.