Mixed compound organic glass scintillators

1. A mixed compound glass scintillator comprising:

a first compound and a second compound:

the first compound is organic, has a Tg greater than 25° C., is capable of generating luminescence in the presence of ionizing radiation, and includes:

a central species selected from the group consisting of: carbon, silicon, and tin;

a luminescent organic group bonded to the central species or to an optional organic linker group;

the optional organic linker group, if present, is bonded to the central species and the luminescent organic group;

the second compound has a Tg greater than 25° C.;

the first and second compound are mixed and melted to form a glass material.

2. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the second compound is capable of generating luminescence in the presence of ionizing radiation, and includes:

a second central species selected from the group consisting of: carbon, silicon, phosphorus, nitrogen, tin, germanium; an oxide, salt, or alkyl salt of silicon, phosphorus, nitrogen, tin, or germanium; or a rotationally symmetric organic species;

a second luminescent organic group bonded to the central species or to an optional second organic linker group;

the optional second organic linker group, if present, is bonded to the second central species and the second luminescent organic group.

3. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 2 , wherein the central species of the first compound is silicon, and the second compound is a fluorescent organic molecule.

4. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 2 , wherein the first and second compounds are enantiomers or diastereomers.

5. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 2 , wherein the first compound absorbs and emits light with a quantum yield that exceeds 0.3 as determined by an integrating sphere at sample method according to NIST standard NISTIR 7458.

6. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 2 , wherein the mixed compound glass scintillator is fully amorphous for at least 4 weeks at 80° C., 1 atm, and 20% to 55% relative humidity (relative humidity measured at 25° C.).

7. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the luminescent organic group is selected from the group consisting of: quaterphenyl, terphenyl, trans-stilbene, naphthalene, anthracene, truxene, triphenylene, 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene, spirobifluorene, fluorene, carbazole, coumarin, anthracene, naphthalene, biphenyl, coumarin, phenyloxazole, phenyloxadiazole, 2,5-diphenyloxazole, 9,9′-dialkylfluorene, 9,9′-diarylfluorene, 2-aryl-9,9′-dialkylfluorene, 2-aryl-9,9′-diarylfluorene, 7-aryl-9,9′-dialkylfluorene, 7-aryl-9,9′-diarylfluorene, 7-alkyl-9,9′-dialkylfluorene, 7-alkyl-9,9′-diarylfluorene, 9,10-diphenylanthracene, 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole, p-terphenyl, salicylic acid, and methyl salicylate and analogs thereof.

8. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the central species and the luminescent organic group are selected to inhibit pi-pi stacking in the compound and an overall three-dimensional structure of the compound inhibits pi-pi stacking.

9. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the central species is silicon, and the luminescent organic group is benzylic functionalized fluorene.

10. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the luminescent organic group is a polycyclic group.

11. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the central species of the first compound is silicon, and the second compound is a polymer.

12. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 has a volume of 1 cubic cm to 130000 cubic cms.

13. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , wherein the scintillator produces a light yield of 12,000 photons/MeVee to 40,000 photons/MeVee with a trans-stilbene reference.

14. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , further comprising a wavelength shifter.

15. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , further comprising a quenching additive.

16. The mixed compound glass scintillator of claim 1 , further comprising a triplet harvesting dopant at a weight percentage of 0.01% to 1%.

17. A photomultiplier tube or OLED comprising:

a mixed compound glass scintillator including:

a first compound and a second compound:

the first compound is organic, has a Tg greater than 25° C., is capable of generating luminescence in the presence of ionizing radiation, and includes:

a central species selected from the group consisting of: carbon, silicon, and tin;

a luminescent organic group bonded to the central species or to an optional organic linker group;

the optional organic linker group, if present, is bonded to the central species and the luminescent organic group;

the second compound has a Tg greater than 25° C.;

the first and second compound are mixed and melted to form a glass material.

18. A method of making a glass compound, the steps of which comprise:

mixing a first compound and a second compound:

the first compound is organic, has a Tg greater than 25° C., is capable of generating luminescence in the presence of ionizing radiation, and includes:

a central species selected from the group consisting of: carbon, silicon, and tin;

a luminescent organic group bonded to the central species or to an optional organic linker group;

the optional organic linker group, if present, is bonded to the central species and the luminescent organic group;

the second compound has a Tg greater than 25° C.;

melting the first and second compound to form a mixed and melted compound; and

cooling the mixed and melted compound to form a mixed compound glass scintillator.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the mixed and melted compound is cooled at a rate of 1 to 10 degrees Celsius per minute.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising adding a wavelength shifter, a triplet harvesting dopant, quencher or any combination of these prior to the cooling step.