Date of Award

Summer 2022

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Hans-Conrad zur Loye

Abstract

Scintillators, materials which emit light when struck by high energy X-rays and y- rays, are extensively used in various fields including medical imaging, computed tomography, high-energy physics, and more recently in homeland security for the prevention of nuclear and radiological terrorism. While comparing with the traditional scintillators, which have long-term instability, high synthetic cost, toxicity, and hygroscopicity issues, metal halides have been reported to exhibit effective excitonic radioluminescence and greatly contribute in the field of scintillating applications and radiation detection. Currently, the mixed-anion oxide-fluorides have emerged as a prospective new class of scintillators, in which the mixed oxide-fluoride environment around the metal center generate distortions which can significantly enhance the luminosity of the material.

Growing high quality single crystals of these materials is another important factor for structure determination and property measurements as well as long-time stability. Exploratory crystal growth using facile solution based hydrothermal approach has been an effective method to synthesize new halides and oxide-halide materials. This work summarizes the crystal growth approaches for halide and mixed-anion oxide-halide single crystals, characterizes their structures and properties for their use as potential scintillators and radiation detection.

Rights

© 2022, Gyanendra B. Ayer

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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