A Novel Boron-Loaded Liquid Scintillator for Neutron Detection

A boron-loaded liquid scintillator (LS) has been optimized for neutron detection application in a high gamma field environment. It is composed of the solvent linear alkylbenzene (LAB), a boroncontaining material, o-carborane (C2B10H12); a fluor, 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO); and a wavelength shifter, 1,4-bis[2-methylstyryl] benzene (bis-MSB). Preparation of the liquid scintillator and optimization of its chemical composition are described. The boronloaded LS has been tested with a neutron beam at the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor. A peak at an equivalent energy of 60 keV is observed in the energy spectrum and is attributed to neutrons. The results confirm the possibility of using B-10 loaded scintillator as a sensitive medium for neutron detection in a relatively large background of gamma rays.