Sahi Sunil, Magill Stephen, Ma Lun, Xie Junqi, Chen Wei, Jones Benjamin, Nygren David
Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA.
Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA.
Sci Rep. 2018 Jul 12;8(1):10515. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28741-y.
Ultraviolet (UV) photon detection is becoming increasingly important in the quest to understand the fundamental building blocks of our universe. Basic properties of neutrinos and Dark Matter are currently being explored through interactions with noble elements. In response to interactions with fundamental particles, these elements emit scintillation photons in the UV range. However, most available detectors have poor response in the UV so it is typically necessary to shift UV to a wavelength, matching the sensitivity of the viable detectors. We report on development of UV-enhanced photosensors using wavelength-shifting properties of nanoparticles. Several nanoparticle coatings were tested for absorption of UV light with subsequent emission in the visible wavelength for high energy particle detection. ZnS:Mn,Eu, ZnS:Mn, CuCy (Copper Cysteamine) and CdTe nanoparticles all exhibited enhanced detection for wavelengths in the range 200-320 nm in several different tests, while ZnS:Ag and CdS nanoparticle showed little or no enhancement in that range. In addition, various LaF:Ce nanoparticle concentrations in approximately constant thickness of 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO)/polystyrene bases were also tested to optimize the nanoparticle concentration for the best outcome. Our studies indicated that ZnS:Mn,Eu, ZnS:Mn, Cu-Cy, CdTe and LaF:Ce nanoparticles show potential for light detection from fundamental particle interactions.
在探索宇宙基本构成要素的过程中，紫外线（UV）光子探测正变得愈发重要。目前，中微子和暗物质的基本特性是通过与惰性元素的相互作用来探索的。这些元素在与基本粒子相互作用时，会发射出紫外线范围内的闪烁光子。然而，大多数现有的探测器在紫外线波段的响应较差，因此通常需要将紫外线转换为与现有探测器灵敏度相匹配的波长。我们报告了利用纳米颗粒的波长转换特性开发紫外线增强型光电传感器的情况。测试了几种纳米颗粒涂层对紫外线的吸收情况，以及随后在可见光波长下的发射情况，以用于高能粒子探测。在几项不同的测试中，ZnS:Mn,Eu、ZnS:Mn,CuCy（铜半胱胺）和CdTe纳米颗粒在200 - 320纳米波长范围内均表现出增强的探测效果，而ZnS:Ag和CdS纳米颗粒在该范围内几乎没有增强效果。此外，还测试了在厚度大致恒定的2,5 - 二苯基恶唑（PPO）/聚苯乙烯基体中不同浓度的LaF:Ce纳米颗粒，以优化纳米颗粒浓度，获得最佳结果。我们的研究表明，ZnS:Mn,Eu、ZnS:Mn,Cu - Cy、CdTe和LaF:Ce纳米颗粒在探测基本粒子相互作用产生的光方面具有潜力。
