Radiation Hard SCIntIIIatIng Detector Based on Porous Sol-Gel Silica Polymer Materials physical Optics Corporation

PHYSCIAL OPTICS CORPORATION (POC) PROPOSES TO FABRICATE A NUCLEAR HARDENED SCINTILLATING DETECTOR (NHSD) FOR PRECISE DETECTION AND MONITORING OF RADIATION AT CRITICAL LOCATIONS SUCH AS NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, ATOMIC WEAPON PRODUCTION FACILITIES AND NUCLEAR WEAPON TEST SITES. THE PROPOSED NHSD IS BASED ON INTEGRATING ORGANIC FLUOR, SOLGEL TECHNIQUES AND DIAMOND-LIKE COATING TECHNOLOGIES. BY OPTIMIZING ORGANIC FLUOR DOPED SOL-GEL, POC EXPECTS TO PRODUCE A PROTOTYPE FOR A NEW GENERATION OF SCINTILLATORS IN PHASE I IN A HIGH RESPONSE TIME AND HIGH LIGHT INTENSITY OUTPUT, WITHOUT THE PROBLEMS OF COLOR ABSORPTION CENTERS. SOL-GELS NATURALLY OFFER HIGHER DEGREES OF STRENGTH WHICH WILL BE FURTHER ENHANCED BY A DIAMOND-LIKE COATING. THIS COMBINATION WILL ENSURE THAT POC'S SYSTEM IS "RUGGED, RESISTANT AND RADIATON HARD. PHASE I EFFORTS WILL FORCUS ON THE POROTOYPE'S INITIAL RESPONSE TIME MEASUREMENT AND AN ANALYSIS OF ITS SCINTILLATION EFFICIENCY WITH O, B, AND Y-RAY SOURCES. PHASE II WILL CONCENTRATE ON SCALING UP OUR DESIGN TO FABRICATE LARGE SIZE SCINTILLTORS AND FIELD TEST SELECTED NHSD. THE SUCCESS OF PHASES I AND II, WILL LEAD US TO PHASE III COMMERCIALIZATION USING NON-GOVERNMENT CAPITAL SOURCE.