2025 Joint NASA Heliophysics Technology and Suborbital Symposium
Published February 5, 2026 | Version v1
Poster Open

Development of Plastic Scintillator Loaded with CdTe QDs for Detection of Muons

Authors/Creators

  • 1. TED Darıca College Private Anatolian High School
  • 2. Göztepe İhsan Kurşunoğlu Anatolian High School

Description

This project presents the design and development of a polystyrenebased plastic scintillator doped with cadmium telluride (CdTe)
quantum dots (QDs), optimized for the detection of minimum ionizing
particles such as muons. The scintillator matrix incorporates PPO (0.3
wt%) as the primary fluor and POPOP (0.04 wt%) as the secondary
fluor to shift the emission from ultraviolet to blue wavelengths (~420
nm). CdTe QDs are added at 0.1 wt% to further shift the emission
spectrum to ~494 nm and enhance total light yield via quantum
confinement effects. The synthesized CdTe nanoplatelets exhibit
sharp absorption at 2.51 eV and fast photoluminescence decay,
significantly improving optical coupling with photomultiplier tubes
(PMTs).The scintillator dimensions are 200×30 mm, chosen for an
optimal balance between interaction volume and timing
performance. To reduce corner light loss and improve internal
reflectivity, the geometry is wrapped with Teflon and ESR film. The
expected light output is approximately 8000–10000 photons/MeV,
with sub-nanosecond timing resolution (<1 ns). Shielding is
implemented using 5 cm thick lead for gamma attenuation, 6 cm
boron-doped HDPE for neutron moderation, and inner aluminum
layers (1 mm) to absorb secondary electrons. External layers include
0.5 mm aluminum for mechanical protection and optical
containment, achieving ~92% reflectivity in the 400–600 nm
range.Thermal expansion effects are accounted for in the mechanical
design with appropriate tolerances. Overall, the system is designed to
deliver high light yield, excellent timing and spectral compatibility
with conventional PMTs, making it suitable for high-sensitivity
charged particle detection applications.
 

Image 2: Min, S., Kim, Y., Ko, K., Seo, B., Cheong, J., Roh, C., & Hong, S. (2021). Optimization of plastic scintillator for detection of Gamma-Rays: Simulation and experimental study. Chemosensors, 9(9), 239.

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