Microstructure and Properties of BaF2 Scintillation Ceramics Fabricated by Pressure-assisted Sintering

doi:10.15541/jim20260183

Abstract

Abstract: BaF₂ scintillation ceramics offer fast response, high light yield within the first nanosecond, and short X-ray attenuation length, making them promising for ultrafast X-ray imaging. In this study, BaF₂ nanopowder was synthesized via the chemical co-precipitation method using barium nitrate and potassium fluoride dihydrate. The ceramics were prepared using hot pressing (HP) followed by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) treatment. The effects of HP temperatures (550-650 ℃) combined with HIP treatment on microstructure, transmittance, and scintillation properties (XEL, scintillation decay time, and light yield) were investigated. Results indicate that with increasing HP temperature, the number of pores first decreases and then increases. In-line transmittance, XEL intensity, fast scintillation proportion, and light yield all show a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with increasing HP temperature. The optimal ceramics were obtained by HP (600 ℃×2 h, 50 MPa) combined with HIP (600 ℃×3 h, 100 MPa Ar), achieving an in-line transmittance of 60.4% at 800 nm (1 mm in thickness), the highest fast XEL intensity with significant slow component suppression, fast component of 12.2%, and a light yield of 4675 ph/MeV@3 μs, lower than the 575 ℃ HP sample (2 mm in thickness) (5524 ph/MeV@3 μs). Defect characterization revealed three trap levels inside the 575-650 ℃ hot pressed samples: 0.80 eV, 1.16 eV, and 1.20 eV, which may correspond to an intrinsic electronic defect, a lattice oxygen (OF'), and a barium vacancy (VBa''), respectively. The 550 ℃ sample has the deep trap energy level of 3.11 eV, which may be due to the lower densification of the ceramic, resulting in a large number of dangling bonds that form deep traps, making the photoelectron peak undetectable. For the samples prepared at 575-650 ℃, with increasing temperature, defect concentration increases, so the thermal stimulated luminescence intensity gradually rises, while the light yield decreases.

Key words: BaF₂ ceramics, chemical coprecipitation method, hot-pressing sintering, microstructure, scintillation properties

CLC Number:

TQ174

LIU Heng, HU Chen, HOU Jingshan, YE Junhao, HUANG Dong, LI Tingsong, FANG Yongzheng, LI Jiang. Microstructure and Properties of BaF₂ Scintillation Ceramics Fabricated by Pressure-assisted Sintering[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, DOI: 10.15541/jim20260183.

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Microstructure and Properties of BaF₂ Scintillation Ceramics Fabricated by Pressure-assisted Sintering

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