Organic scintillators derived from pyrazoline
Pyrazoline-based fluorophores and plastic scintillators incorporating the fluorophores are described. The fluorophores include 1,3,5-triaryl substituted pyrazolines. A fluorophore of a plastic scintillator can be a 1-phenyl-4,5-1H-dihydroyrazole having the structure: in which R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from a heteroaryl group including one or more of an oxygen, selenium or sulfur atom in the ring; an aryl halide group; or a phenyl alkyl including a C1 to C18 saturated or unsaturated alkyl that optionally includes a reactive functionality.
1. A plastic scintillator comprising a polymeric matrix and a 1,3,5-triaryl substituted pyrazoline incorporated in the polymeric matrix, wherein the 1,3,5-triaryl substituted pyrazoline is bonded to a chain of a polymer of the polymeric matrix via reaction of a reactive functional group of the pyrazoline with a reactive group of the polymer or via reaction of a bifunctional crosslinking agent with a reactive functional group of the pyrazoline and with a reactive group of the polymer.
2. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the 1,3,5,-triaryl substituted pyrazoline has the following structure:
in which
R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from a heteroaryl group including one or more of an oxygen, selenium, or sulfur atom in the ring; an aryl halide group; or a phenyl alkyl including a C1 to C18 saturated or unsaturated alkyl that optionally includes a reactive functional group.
3. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the 1,3,5-triaryl pyrazoline has the following structure:
in which R 4 and R 5 are independently selected from sulfur, selenium and oxygen.
4. The plastic scintillator of claim 3 , wherein R 4 is sulfur and R 5 is oxygen.
5. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the 1,3,5-triaryl substituted pyrazoline has the following structure:
in which R 3 is an aryl halide group or a phenyl alkyl including a C1 to C18 saturated or unsaturated alkyl that optionally includes a reactive functional group.
6. The plastic scintillator of claim 5 , wherein R 3 is an aryl bromide or an aryl fluoride.
7. The plastic scintillator of claim 6 , wherein the scintillator has the following structure:
8. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the 1,3,4-triaryl substituted pyrazoline has been copolymerized with a monomer via chain polymerization or step polymerization.
9. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric matrix comprises a polystyrene.
10. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric matrix comprises a polyvinyltoluene or a polyvinylcarbazole.
11. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , further comprising a second fluorophore.
12. The plastic scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the plastic scintillator is free of any secondary fluorophores.