Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

Single Crystal Growth of BaCl2 & BaCl2:Eu2+ and Their Optical Characterisation for Ionizante Gamma Radiation Detection

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Z Dorriz
E Jangjoo
H Kalbasi
M Esmaeilnia
H Faripour
R Khatiri
N A. Akbari
Abstract
Single Crystals of Orthorhombic BaCl2 and BaCl2:Eu2+ were grown using a home-made Czochralski system by extracting from the melt in a carbon crucible, and argon atmospheric pressure upon using BaCl2 and EuCl2 powders of 99.995% and 99.99% purity, respectively. The results corresponding to XRD analysis for the grown crystals confirm the phase purity and the orthorhombic structural phuse of the grown BaCl2 and BaCl2:Eu2+ crystals. The ICP model Optima-2100 was also used to measure Eu2+ ion concentration. The fluorescence emission, excitation and absorption spectra were obtained using a Cary-Eclipse WinFLR fluorometer and a Cary17D spectrophotometer. The prepared crystaling samples found to be colorless and transparent with no observed cleavage. Therefore, excluding OH-, oxygen and carbon contaminations from the growth system was to some extent a successful result, which is indicating that a transmittance coefficient of about 80% is considered as a suitable optical feature of the BaCl2 single crystal. The study of photoluminescence spectroscopy of BaCl2 single crystals, with and without Eu2+ ion impurity, showed that the occurrence of the high intensity and low band width (FWHM~30nm) PL-band of BaCl2:Eu2+ sample at 400nm are indicating an increase of the optical efficiency compared with and without applying the impurity. As a result, it could be observed that the doped crystals with europium can be served as a luminescence material for radiation detectors.

Highlights

  1. 1.    S. Schweizer, J.-M. Spaeth, M. Secu, A. Edgar, G.V.M. Williams, Photostimulable defects in nano-crystallites in fluorozirconate glasses, Phys. Stat. Sol(a), 202(2) (2005) 243-249.

 

  1. 2.    Jeremy Robinson, A photo and thermally stimulated luminescence study of BaCl2:Eu2+ with application to neutron imaging, Victoria University of Wellington (2008).

 

  1. 3.    G.A. Appleby, A. Edgar, G.V.M. Williams, A.J.J. Bos, Photostimulated luminescence from BaCl2:Eu2+ nanocrystals in lithium borate glasses following neutron irradiation, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89 (2006) 101902/1-101902/3.

 

  1. 4.    J.M. Spaeth, Recent developments in X-ray storage phosphor materials, Rad. Meas. 33(5) (2001) 527-532.

 

  1. 5.    L. Bottler-Jensen, S.W.S. Mckeever, A.G. Wintle, Optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry, Amesterdam:Elsevier Science B.V. (2003).

 

  1. 6.    J. Selling, M.D. Birowosuto, P. Dorenbos, S. Schweizer, Europium-doped barium halide X-ray scintillators, Phys. Stat. Sol.(c) 4(3) (2007) 976-979.

 

  1. E.B. Brackett, T.E. Brackett, R.L. Sass, The crystal structures of Barium Chloride, Barium Bromide, and Barium Iodide, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 67 (1963) 2132-2135.

 

  1. B. Tanguy, P. Merle, M. Pezat, C. Fouassier, Emission f-f de l'europium divalent dans les phases MFCl (M=Ca, Sr, Ba) et BaLiF3, Mater. Res. Bull. 9 (1974) 831-836.

 

  1. G. Blasse, On the nature of the Eu2+ luminescence, Phys. Status. Solidi (b) 55 (1973) k131-k134.

 

  1.  H.G. Lipson, J.J. Larkin, B. Bendow, S.S. Mitra, Molecular-impurity absorption in KC1 for infrared laser windows, J. Electron, Mater. 4(1) (1975) 1-24.

     

Keywords

Crystal Growth
Optical Properties
Ionizing Radiation
Barium Chloride
  1. 1.    S. Schweizer, J.-M. Spaeth, M. Secu, A. Edgar, G.V.M. Williams, Photostimulable defects in nano-crystallites in fluorozirconate glasses, Phys. Stat. Sol(a), 202(2) (2005) 243-249.

 

  1. 2.    Jeremy Robinson, A photo and thermally stimulated luminescence study of BaCl2:Eu2+ with application to neutron imaging, Victoria University of Wellington (2008).

 

  1. 3.    G.A. Appleby, A. Edgar, G.V.M. Williams, A.J.J. Bos, Photostimulated luminescence from BaCl2:Eu2+ nanocrystals in lithium borate glasses following neutron irradiation, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89 (2006) 101902/1-101902/3.

 

  1. 4.    J.M. Spaeth, Recent developments in X-ray storage phosphor materials, Rad. Meas. 33(5) (2001) 527-532.

 

  1. 5.    L. Bottler-Jensen, S.W.S. Mckeever, A.G. Wintle, Optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry, Amesterdam:Elsevier Science B.V. (2003).

 

  1. 6.    J. Selling, M.D. Birowosuto, P. Dorenbos, S. Schweizer, Europium-doped barium halide X-ray scintillators, Phys. Stat. Sol.(c) 4(3) (2007) 976-979.

 

  1. E.B. Brackett, T.E. Brackett, R.L. Sass, The crystal structures of Barium Chloride, Barium Bromide, and Barium Iodide, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 67 (1963) 2132-2135.

 

  1. B. Tanguy, P. Merle, M. Pezat, C. Fouassier, Emission f-f de l'europium divalent dans les phases MFCl (M=Ca, Sr, Ba) et BaLiF3, Mater. Res. Bull. 9 (1974) 831-836.

 

  1. G. Blasse, On the nature of the Eu2+ luminescence, Phys. Status. Solidi (b) 55 (1973) k131-k134.

 

  1.  H.G. Lipson, J.J. Larkin, B. Bendow, S.S. Mitra, Molecular-impurity absorption in KC1 for infrared laser windows, J. Electron, Mater. 4(1) (1975) 1-24.

     

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