A neutron sensitive detector using 3D-printed scintillators

This work reports on the performance of a novel neutron-sensitive scintillating detector fabricated using Fused-Deposition Modelling (FDM) additive manufacturing. FDM is a cost-effective 3D-printing method employing flexible plastic filaments to create custom-shaped components. Scintillating filaments, based on polystyrene doped with p-terphenyl and 1,4-bis (5-phenyloxazol-2-yl) benzene, and enriched with ⁶LiF to enable neutron sensitivity were manufactured in house and achieved visible scintillation with a light output of 30 ± 5 photons per MeV. Printed scintillators (both a 2 cm × 2 cm × 0.5 cm cuboid and a 2 cm × 2 cm × 1 cm cuboid containing a ⁶LiF-packed cavity) were then integrated into a detector system consisting of an image intensified TimePix3 camera, offering high spatial and temporal resolution. The detector performance was compared with Geant4 simulations of the scintillating sensor's response to electrons, gamma-rays, and thermal neutrons. A novel event discrimination algorithm, using the properties of the TimePix3 camera, enabled the separation of neutron signatures from the gamma-ray background.