Teijin Chemicals’ SCINTIREX Low-Cost Plastic for Radiation Detectors

Teijin Chemicals has planned to supply a revolutionary radiation-fluorescent plastic starting from September, 2011.

SCINTIREX plastic will be used as scintillators, which is the key material in radiation detectors. The product can be potentially used by manufacturers in certain applications like medical equipment and radiation detectors. It can also be utilized by research institutes and universities.

Teijin Chemicals has developed SCINTIREX in collaboration with the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan and Kyoto University Nuclear Reactor Research Institute.

Conventional scintillators are built using special plastic with fluorescent agents that are expensive. Hence, a low-cost alternative is required to produce inexpensive radiation detectors. The launch of SCINTIREX plastic meets the requirement and this low-cost plastic promises to decrease the overall cost of radiation detectors by cutting down the manufacturing cost of scintillators.

The material features a special molecule structure and it is an ideal choice compared to conventional scintillators, as SCINTIREX has better density, refractive index and luminescence. When exposed to radiation, it emits a blue fluorescence. SCINTIREX is easily moldable as it is a polyester resin.

SCINTIREX-based radiation detectors can be used to manage radiation at radiation stations, nuclear fuel processing facilities and nuclear power plants. Other applications of the radiation-fluorescent plastic include radiation-inspection equipment at aerospace hardware, rail stations, harbours and airports.

Source: http://www.teijin.co.jp/