Bismuth-loaded plastic scintillators for gamma-ray spectroscopy

Polyvinylcarbazole polymer scintillators with high loading of a bismuth organometallic exhibit good light yields, and are found to be capable of gamma-ray spectroscopy. When activated by a standard fluor, diphenylanthracene, a bismuth-loaded polymer produces ∼12000 photons/MeV, exhibits an emission maximum at 420 nm, a ∼15 ns decay, and energy resolution of 9% at 662 keV is measured. The same bismuth-loaded polymer doped with an iridium complex fluor has an emission maximum of 500 nm, a decay time of 1.2 μs, a light yield of ∼30000 photons/MeV, and energy resolution better than 7% FWHM at 662 keV.