Nuclear radiation detecting device could lead to new homeland security tool

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A Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory research team has developed an exceptional next-generation material for nuclear radiation detection that could provide a significantly less expensive alternative to the detectors now in commercial use.

Specifically, the high-performance material is used in a device that can detect gamma rays, weak signals given off by nuclear materials, and can easily identify individual radioactive isotopes. It has been more than 30 years since a material with this performance was developed, with the new material having the advantage of inexpensive production.

Potential uses for the new device include more widespread detectors—including handheld—for nuclear weapons and materials as well as applications in biomedical imaging, astronomy and spectroscopy.

"Governments of the world want a quick, low-cost way to detect gamma rays and nuclear radiation to fight terrorist activities, such as smuggling and dirty bombs, and the proliferation of nuclear materials," said Northwestern's Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, the corresponding author of the paper. "This has been a very difficult problem for scientists to solve. Now we have an exciting new semiconductor device that is inexpensive to make and works well at room temperature."

To read more please visit: https://phys.org/news/2018-04-nuclear-device-homeland-tool.html#jCp

Source: Phys.org