LaCl3 crystal has UCl3 type structure, space group P63/m, and it has attracted much attention for its high light output as well as good energy resolution. These unique properties made LaCl3 crystal a promising material as scintillator in the field of high-energy physics experiments and medical imaging, as well. LaCl3 (doped with 10% Ce3+) has a very high light output (49,000 photons/MeV), and fast principle decay time constant (26 ns) . These properties make LaCl3:Ce a very promising material for gamma-ray spectroscopy.
LaCl3 crystal belongs to hexagonal system, density is 3.8g/cm3. Its energy resolution is 3.1%, decay time With 26 ns and a time resolution of 224 ps, there is almost no damage after exposure to gamma rays up to 3 kGy. Such excellent scintillation performance is very rare in inorganic compounds. The energy is 60 keV to 1275 keV. Under the excitation of γ-ray source, the nonlinear response coefficient of light output is 7%, which is far superior to LSO:Ce crystal (35%), NaI: Tl crystal (15%) and CsI: Tl (20%). Based on its good numbers, this scintillation material can find its place in such applications as medical imaging, nuclear physics, X-ray diffraction, non-destructive evaluation, treaty verification and safeguards, environmental monitoring, and geological exploration.
Parameter
Material | LaCl3 |
Appearance | white odorless powder |
Crystal structure | hexagonal (UCl3 type), hP8 |
Space group | P63/m, No. 176 |
Lattice constant | a = 0.74779 nm, b = 0.74779 nm, c = 0.43745 nm |
Formula units (Z) | 2 |
Coordination geometry | Tricapped trigonal prismatic,(nine-coordinate) |
Density (g/cm3) | 3.8 |
Melting point | 860 °C |
Boiling point | 1,000 °C |
Solubility in water | 957 g/L (25 °C) |
Emission peak (nm) | 350, 430 |
Decay time (ns) | 28 |
Energy resolution R (%) | 10.5 ± 0.9 |
Photon yield (103 ph/MeV) | 34 ± 1 |
Light yield (photons/keV) | 49 |
Light output (photons/MeV) | 50,500 |
Absorbed γ-ray energy (keV) | 662, 60 |
Photoelectron yield [% of NaI(TI)](for γ-rays) | 35 |
LaCl3 Absorption Spectra | LaCl3 Emission Spectra |
LaCl3 Transmission Spectra | LaCl3 Decay Time |
- Excellent energy resolution
- Good time resolution
- High chemical resistance
- Fast decay times – 28nsec
- High light outputs – 49,000 Photons/MeV
- Optical outputs with good linearity with temperature
- Excellent radiation hardness
- Safety inspection
- Geological exploration
- Environmental testing
- Medical – SPECT
- Industrial – Well logging
- Nuclear and high energy physics – specialist applications
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