title: New Efficient Organic Scintillators Derived from Pyrazoline.
abstract: We report on the synthesis, spectroscopic and scintillation properties of three new pyrazoline core based fluorophores. Fluorescence properties of the fluorophores have been studied both in a solution state and in a solid polyvinyltoluene (PVT) resin matrix of different porosity. The synthesized fluorophores were found to be promising candidates for application in plastic scintillators for detection of ionizing radiation (alpha, beta particles, γ rays and neutrons) and demonstrated superior efficiency in comparison to the existing commercially used fluorophores (2-(1-naphthyl)-5-phenyloxazole (αNPO), 9,10-diphenylanthracene, etc.). Moreover, the suggested synthetic route allows functionalization of the fluorophores with a vinyl group for further covalent bound to the PVT or other vinyl polymer matrices, which dramatically improves chemical stability of the system simultaneously improving the photoluminescence quantum yield. Possible mechanisms of the enhanced scintillation properties are discussed based on preliminary quantum mechanical calculations and spectroscopic characteristics of the fluorophores under study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634 United States.
authors.forename: Valery N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Bliznyuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634 United States.
authors.forename: Ayman F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Seliman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine , 5 Murmanskaya Str., Kiev 02660, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ishchenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry, National Academy of Science of Ukraine , 5 Murmanskaya Str., Kiev 02660, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Nadezhda A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Derevyanko
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, Clemson University , Clemson, South Carolina 29634 United States.
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: DeVol
keywords: fluorescence; luminescence; plastic scintillators; pyrazoline fluorophores; radiation measurements