Advanced Scintillation Materials for Radiation Detection: Production, Characterization, and Application

Scintillator plays a vital role in the radiation detection area. To date, more than two hundred types of scintillation materials have been developed, many of which are widely used in applications such as geophysical exploration, homeland security, nuclear engineering and nuclear physics research. Inorganic scintillators exhibit high detection efficiencies and resolutions for gamma rays. However, they are often associated with high production cost, slow decay time and mechanical brittleness. In contrast, organic scintillators provide superior timing performance and low cost. But their usage is limited by poor energy resolutions and long-term degradation resulting from radiation exposure and environmental factors. Consequently, considerable research efforts have focused on improving the performance of existing scintillators and developing advanced scintillation materials capable of meeting the increasing demands of more reliable and robust radiation detectors.This Research Topic is focused on showcasing the development of advanced scintillation detectors for radiation measurement. It will explore the state-of-the-art crystal growth techniques for novel scintillation materials and the characterization methods to assess and benchmark their performance, enabling the development of more efficient and reliable radiation detection systems. This Topic seeks to accelerate the detector development in areas, such as monitoring special nuclear materials, gamma-ray and neutron measurement for reactor diagnostics, isotope identification during reactor decommissions, and radiation mapping for environmental decontamination. In addition, we also aim to explore the use of AI and machine learning techniques to enhance the performance of conventional scintillation detectors and support the analysis and processing of detector data. This Research Topic welcomes submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Discovery of new scintillation formulas for both organic and inorganic scintillators• Characterization of novel scintillation materials with respect to the light output, decay time, quenching, and radiation hardness• Development of scintillation detectors with pulse shape discrimination capabilities for dual neutron and gamma-ray measurement• Scintillator‑based radiation imaging and development of radiation hardness scintillators for reactor monitoring and diagnostics• AI‑assisted scintillator material design• AI and machine learning methods for pulse discrimination, spectrum unfolding, anomaly detection, and automated calibration. Topic editors: Majid Khorsandi, YUKI Morishita Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84811/advanced-scintillation-materials-for-radiation-detection-production-characterization-and-application