CNR ExploRA

Poster, 2022, ENG

Layered Y3Al5O12:Pr/Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12:Ce garnet scintillating ceramics: synthesis and photo-physical properties

Francesca Cova, Roberto Lorenzi, Mauro Fasoli, Jan Hostasa, Valentina Biasini, Laura Esposito, and Anna Vedda

1 Department of Materials Science, University of Milano - Bicocca, Via Cozzi 55, 20125, Milan, Italy 2 CNR ISTEC, Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics, Via Granarolo 64, 48018, Faenza, Italy

Transparent ceramics are an emerging class of materials with interesting optical and scintillating properties accompanied by a relative easiness of the production method: the easy and flexible shaping makes ceramics technology extremely appealing, especially when a specific geometry is not achievable via single crystal growth, such as multilayer structures for scintillation and laser operation [1]. In the present work, we design a novel layered Y3Al5O12:Pr/Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce (YAG:Pr/GGAG:Ce) composite scintillating ceramic, consisting of a two-phase mixture with different luminescent activators, prepared by a combined approach of conventional pressureless sintering in air followed by hot isostatic pressing. The layered morphology efficiently combines the well-known physical and luminescence properties of YAG [2] with the newly found outstanding performances of GGAG [3]. The doping with Pr3+ and Ce3+ ions provides a bright luminescence and a fast scintillation response of the order of tens of nanoseconds. Indeed, RE ions emitting in well-distinguished spectral regions allow to selectively identify the scintillating layer interacting with the ionizing radiation, with profound implications for phoswich applications and particle discrimination in mixed radiation fields [4]. In addition, the tunable geometry of the layered structure opens perspective for the improvement of the spatial resolution in positron emission tomography with depth-of-interaction scanners [5]. 1.Z. Hu et al., J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 100, 5593 (2017) 2.A. Ikesue et al., Nat. Photonics, 2, 721 (2008) 3.J. Zhang et al., J. Eur. Ceram. Soc, 37, 4925 (2017) 4.G. Zorloni et al., Radiat. Meas., 129, 106203 (2019) 5.K. Shimazoe et al., Nucl. Instr. Methods Phys. Res. A, 873, 12 (2017)

SCINT 2022, 16th International Conference on Scintillating Materials & their Applications, Santa Fe, NM, Stati Uniti, 19-23/09/2022