Estudios preliminares para la construcción de un prototipo de detector de radiación basados en centelladores plásticos.

Abstract

The objetive was to determine the conditions and elements necesary for the development of plastic scintillators for the detection of high-energy particles. By using low cost material: styrene, resin, methyl ethyl ketone (Mek) and cobalt octoate, five prototypes were made with different amounts of each material. When the technique of the Fourier Transform (FTIR) was applied, it was possible to characterize all the samples to compare the chemical composition of the prototypes with respect to the three comercial reference scintillators. The performance check was executed using a control sample, the SiPMs(Silicon Photomultiplier), connected to both the control sample and the prototype sample, the two samples connected to the oscilloscope by means of the electronic system for the detection of particles high energy. The signal obtained in the oscilloscope was the one that determined if the prototypes had some property of detectors or not. All the prototypes did not give response of a signal in comparison to the control sample, the reason why the values were totally unfavorable. This research allows concluding for later studies that the techniques used to manufacture prototypes are adequate; however, it is necessary to occupy materials that act as fluorescents (PPO) and wavelength shifters (POPOP), in order to achieve greater results than those achieved to manufacture own plastic scintillators in the country, which can compete with comercial plastic scintillators.