[ RadSafe ] Cheap radiation detector made of PET resin developed

[Hunter, Jeffrey L]

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Cheap radiation detector made of PET resin developed

Published 16 August 2011

Researchers develop a revolutionary radiation-sensitive plastic with a performance superior to plastic scintillators used for measuring radiation; the discovery will enable a major reduction in production costs -- a step toward an inexpensive radiation detector available to everyone

Japanese researchers have made a major step toward developing an accurate - and cheap - radiation detector which will allow everyone to have his or her own radiation detector.

Dr. Hidehito Nakamura and Dr. Sentaro Takahashi at Kyoto University Nuclear Reactor Research Institute, Dr. Yoshiyuki Shirakawa at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, and Mr. Hisayoshi Shimizu at Teijin Chemicals have successfully in developed a revolutionary radiation-sensitive plastic - trademarked "Scintirex" - at one-tenth the cost of current detectors. What is more, the new device outperforms plastic scintillators, important components in radiation detectors that have become widely used by stakeholders in nuclear power plants and first responders.

The new plastic resin developed by the researchers emits a fluorescent glow when exposed to radiation. The resin acts as a sensor within the radiation detectors, allowing measurements of radiation. Inhabitat reports<http://inhabitat.com/recycled-pet-bottles-become-inexpensive-radiation-detectors-in-japan/> that the new material is derived mainly from PET bottle resin, combining the strength, flexibility, and low cost of the readily available PET resin with the radiation sensitivity of plastic scintillators, currently the dominant radiation sensing material exported to Japan by French firm Saint-Gobain

A Kyoto University release reports<http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/news_data/h/h1/news6/2011/110629_1.htm> that radiation detectors relying on the new technology will make major contributions to radiation management important to the nuclear power industry in general, contamination management in far-away locations, and to radiation management at nuclear power plants around the world. The researchers said they expect these detectors to be adopted not only by nuclear power plants, but by 6,000 radiation stations (including hospitals) in Japan. "We also expect them to answer a demand for inexpensive, high-performance radiation detectors among the general population," the researchers said.

These results of the research were published in the online version of Euro Physics Letters (EPL) on 29 June 2011.