Special polyester makes for low-cost radiation-detection technology

Teijin Chemicals Limited (Tokyo) has launched a polyester-based resin with a special molecular structure that emits blue fluorescence when exposed to radiation. Calling the Scintirex product a "revolutionary low-cost radiation-fluorescent plastic", Teijin said the plastic can be used in the production of scintillators, the core material in radiation detectors, with potential application by universities, research institutes and manufacturers in a variety of applications including radiation detectors and medical equipment.

Teijin Scintirex scintillator material

A moldable plastics, Scintirex will reportedly help reduce the total cost of radiation detectors by cutting the production cost of scintillators to one tenth or less their current levels. Conventional scintillators are made with aromatic resins like polystyrene or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), with the plastic containing fluorescent agents.

The new polyester-based model is said to be superior to conventional scintillators in terms of luminescence, refractive index, and density. Because it is a polyester resin, Scintirex also offers easier moldability. Detectors equipped with Scintirex can be used for radiation management for aerospace hardware, nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel processing facilities and radiation stations, such as those in hospitals, as well as for security purposes in radiation-inspection equipment at airports, harbors and rail stations.

A proprietary polyester resin developed by Teijin Chemicals in cooperation with Kyoto University Nuclear Reactor Research Institute and the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan, Scintirex is likely based on a polyester polymer of naphthalene dicarboxilate and ethylene glycol, resulting in a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN).