Fabrication and Characterization of Epoxy Resin Co-doped with 2,5-Diphenyloxazole and Cerium Fluoride Nanoparticles for Radiation Detection

Akapong Phunpueok, Division of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani 12110, Thailand.
Jaruwan Seangrit, Division of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani 12110, Thailand.
Sarawut Jaiyen, Division of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani 12110, Thailand.
Krittiya Sreebunpeng, Faculty of Science, Chandrakasem Rajabhat University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
Wuttichai Chaiphaksa, Physics Program, Faculty of Science and Technology, Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand.
Kewalee Nilgumhang, Nuclear Fusion and Plasma Section (NFPS), Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (Public Organization), Ongkharak, Nakhon Nayok 26120, Thailand.
Voranuch Thongpool, Division of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani 12110, ThailandFollow

Abstract

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of a plastic scintillator prepared from epoxy resin doped with 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) and cerium fluoride nanoparticles (CeF₃ NPs) for radiation detection. The CeF₃ NPs were prepared by a chemical process and examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM); it was found that the prepared particles were true CeF₃ NPs with an average particle size of approximately 17 nm. The CeF₃ NPs were co-doped with PPO into epoxy resin and formed into a plastic scintillator of 3 cm in diameter and 2 cm in length. Analysis of the scintillator's luminescence properties using a fluorescence spectrometer revealed that excitation at 300 nm resulted in maximum emission at 366 nm. Scintillation response testing, conducted by coupling the plastic scintillator to a photomultiplier tube, demonstrated successful radiation detection capabilities. The optimal sample preparation conditions were determined to be 0.4% by weight of PPO doping and 0.2% by weight of CeF₃ NPs co-doping, which yielded the best gamma-ray detection performance. Energy response testing using radiation sources Na-22, Cs-137, Mn-54, and Co-60 showed that the relationship between incident gamma-ray energy and the signal measured by the multichannel analyzer exhibited 99.83% linearity. For measuring gamma rays at 662 keV, the fabricated plastic scintillator showed a light yield of 1,810 photons/MeV, corresponding to 39% of that of a commercial plastic scintillator (4,640 photons/MeV). The fabricated plastic scintillators were also responsive to X-rays and alpha particles; namely, when excited with X-rays, they exhibited a scintillation efficiency equal to 15% of that of the reference BGO crystal, and when excited with 5.5 MeV alpha particles from Pu-238, they showed an energy resolution of 48.27%.

Recommended Citation

Phunpueok, Akapong; Seangrit, Jaruwan; Jaiyen, Sarawut; Sreebunpeng, Krittiya; Chaiphaksa, Wuttichai; Nilgumhang, Kewalee; and Thongpool, Voranuch (2025) "Fabrication and Characterization of Epoxy Resin Co-doped with 2,5-Diphenyloxazole and Cerium Fluoride Nanoparticles for Radiation Detection," Karbala International Journal of Modern Science: Vol. 11 : Iss. 4 , Article 4.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.33640/2405-609X.3429