Assessing CZT detector performance for environmental radioactivity investigations.
Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) is the leading semiconductor detector for gamma spectroscopy at room temperature. In the present study, a coplanar-grid CZT detector was used for gamma-ray measurements of environmental radioactivity on a contaminated saltmarsh sediment core in comparison with results from a coaxial high-purity germanium detector to assess their comparative performance. The findings reveal that the CZT performs well for both (241)Am and (137)Cs measurements over a broad range of activities, despite limited detector efficiency, and can be used to good effect in the study of environmental radioactivity in contaminated estuarine settings.
Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Roxby Building, L69 7ZT Liverpool, UK. rrahman@liv.ac.uk
Rubina
R
Rahman
A J
AJ
Plater
P J
PJ
Nolan
P G
PG
Appleby
D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D000576:Americium / Q000032:analysis; D002104:Cadmium / Q000737:chemistry*; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004867:Equipment Design; D005720:Gamma Rays; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D005857:Germanium / Q000032:analysis; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012666:Semiconductors; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D013691:Tellurium / Q000737:chemistry*; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry*
D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; C474490:CdZnTe; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D005857:Germanium; D002104:Cadmium; D015032:Zinc; D013691:Tellurium; D000576:Americium