Polymeric composite scintillators and method for making same

A scintillation detection system comprising:

• a plastic matrix;
• nano-scale particles of a scintillation material, wherein a coating comprising a small molecule ligand is disposed on each nano-scale particle, the ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane, and wherein the coated nano-scale particles are embedded in the plastic matrix;
• and
• one or more photodetectors attached to the plastic matrix, wherein the one or more photodetectors are configured to detect photons generated in the plastic matrix.

A radiation detection and analysis system comprising:

• a scintillation detection system comprising:
• a scintillator including:
• a plastic matrix;
• and
• nano-scale particles of a scintillation material, wherein a coating comprising a small molecule ligand is disposed on each nano-scale particle, the ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane, and wherein the coated nano-scale particles are embedded in the plastic matrix;
• a light detection apparatus attached to the scintillator and configured to generate signals in response to photons generated by the scintillator;
• and
• a signal processing system configured to analyze the signals generated by the scintillation detection system.

A method for manufacturing a scintillation detector comprises:

• coating nano-scale particles with a small molecule ligand comprising trioctylphosphine oxide or trialkoxysilane, wherein the nano-scale particles comprise a scintillation material;
• embedding the nano-scale particles in a plastic matrix;
• and
• attaching a photodetector system to the plastic matrix, wherein the photodetector system comprises one or more elements configured to convert photons to electrical signals.