Neutron scintillators of transparent silica xerogel monolith via a sealed container system and pi-pi interactions

Transparent crack-free lithiated sol-gel scintillating monoliths were developed by taking advantage of a sealed container system for a syneresis and the pi-pi interactions between sol-gel components and organic fluors to yield a better homogeneity and scintillating efficiency. The transparency of the resulting materials indicates that the new scintillating material composites are mesoscopically dispersed. The silica monolith can be prepared without cladding the monolith with an engineering plastic such as a poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) or a liquid mounting medium. A successful detection of neutron particles by using these lithiated scintillating monoliths was demonstrated.