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Nanostructures for radiation detection
Nanostructures and composites for radiation detection and imaging
This programme leads directly from a previous project which involved researching materials for transparent x-ray and thermal neutron radiation imaging plates as well as dosimeters for measuring radiation dose.
Portable fibre optic dosimeter.
X-ray and thermal neutron imaging provide complementary information because x-rays are good at detecting items with a high atomic number (e.g. iron used in weapons) and thermal neutrons are good at detecting items with low atomic numbers (e.g. explosives, drugs).
We have radiation imaging and dosimetry[?] patents and we are expanding our research programme to include researching materials for rapid x-ray/neutron imaging, and 2D dosimeters. Our focus is on transparency and optical conversion and read-out methods.
X-ray of a flounder.
We are currently developing a portable fiber optic dosimeter prototype and a portable x-ray imaging plate reader. This system has the potential to enable x-ray imaging “in the field”; designed so that dose and dose rate can be read out during irradiation and cumulative dose can be read out at any time.
The applications include:
- border security: imaging of packages and containers
- non-destructive testing: detection of cracks in metal and plastic structures
- water content monitoring: soil moisture, timber water content
- energy: coal/ash content
- agricultural: imaging of apples etc.
The new prototypes will include thin and thick films of polymers, crystallite/polymers, crystallite polymer optical fibres and glass ceramics.
Our research team includes physicists and chemists at IRL, Victoria University of Wellington and GNS Science.