Evaluation of radon absorption and detection properties of a plastic scintillator developed for PSD measurements

In the last decade, significant progress has been made in the development of plastic scintillators (PS) with effective neutron/gamma pulse shape discrimination (PSD). In this study, we investigate a plastic scintillator with remarkable neutron/gamma PSD properties for radon detection and alpha/beta PSD. The PS has outstanding alpha-/beta- PSD, energy resolution, and aging stability. It exhibits radon absorption properties with a diffusion length of 0.224(23) mm and a partition coefficient of 10.6(11) at 20(1) °C. We show how the absorption of radon can enhance studies on the alpha/beta PSD and energy resolution of plastic scintillators. Additionally, we introduce an improved peak shape model for the approximation of the PS's alpha-particle spectrum of 222Rn and its short-lived decay products.