Nanostructured scintillating optical fiber prepared via sol-gel technique for detecting gamma radiation

An innovative scintillating material prepared through distributing cesium iodide (CsI) nanocrystals into pores of a transparent nanoporous silica using a sol-gel technology has been developed. The CsI nanocrystals doped porous silica material has been designed and made into an optical fiber by using a patented sol-gel technique. This CsI-doped sol-gel silica optical fiber was conveniently connected to a highly sensitive photon detector in testing the material for detecting gamma radiation. The preliminary test result reported in this Letter clearly demonstrates the feasibility of this scintillating fiber for detecting high-energy radiations.