标题： 基于含碳硼烷的共轭聚合物的直接中子探测器 显示英文标题

标题： Direct Neutron Detectors based on Carborane Containing Conjugated Polymers

摘要： Thermal neutron detectors are crucial to a wide range of applications, including nuclear safety and security, cancer treatment, space research, non-destructive testing, and more. However, neutrons are notoriously difficult to capture due to their absence of charge, and only a handful of isotopes have a sufficient neutron cross-section. Meanwhile, commercially available $^3$He gas filled proportional counters suffer from depleting $^3$He feedstocks and complex device structures. In this work, we explore the potential of a carborane containing conjugated polymer ($o$CbT$_2$-NDI) as a thermal neutron detector. The natural abundance of $^{10}$B in such a polymer enables intrinsic thermal neutron capture of the material, making it the first demonstration of an organic semiconductor with such capabilities. In addition, we show that thermal neutron detection can be achieved also by adding a $^{10}$B$_4$C sensitiser additive to the analogous carborane-free polymer PNDI(2OD)2T, whereas unsensitised PNDI(2OD)2T control devices only respond to the fast neutron component of the radiation field. This approach allows us to disentangle the fast and thermal neutron responses of the devices tested and compare the relative performance of the two approaches to thermal neutron detection. 含有碳硼烷的和$^{10}$B$_4$C 敏化的装置在热中子作用下均表现出增强效应，高于未敏化的聚合物。 探测器响应在通量达到$1.796\,\times\,10^7\,$cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ n$_{th}\bar{v}$时仍保持线性，并在高驱动偏压下饱和。 这项研究证明了碳硼烷聚合物作为中子探测器的可行性，突出了有机半导体固有的化学可调性，并为其在多种低成本、可扩展且易于加工的探测器技术中的应用开辟了可能性。 显示英文摘要

摘要： Thermal neutron detectors are crucial to a wide range of applications, including nuclear safety and security, cancer treatment, space research, non-destructive testing, and more. However, neutrons are notoriously difficult to capture due to their absence of charge, and only a handful of isotopes have a sufficient neutron cross-section. Meanwhile, commercially available $^3$He gas filled proportional counters suffer from depleting $^3$He feedstocks and complex device structures. In this work, we explore the potential of a carborane containing conjugated polymer ($o$CbT$_2$-NDI) as a thermal neutron detector. The natural abundance of $^{10}$B in such a polymer enables intrinsic thermal neutron capture of the material, making it the first demonstration of an organic semiconductor with such capabilities. In addition, we show that thermal neutron detection can be achieved also by adding a $^{10}$B$_4$C sensitiser additive to the analogous carborane-free polymer PNDI(2OD)2T, whereas unsensitised PNDI(2OD)2T control devices only respond to the fast neutron component of the radiation field. This approach allows us to disentangle the fast and thermal neutron responses of the devices tested and compare the relative performance of the two approaches to thermal neutron detection. Both the carborane containing and the $^{10}$B$_4$C sensitised devices displayed enhancement due to thermal neutrons, above that of the unsensitised polymer. The detector response is found to be linear with flux up to $1.796\,\times\,10^7\,$cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ n$_{th}\bar{v}$ and saturates at high drive biases. This study demonstrates the viability of carboranyl polymers as neutron detectors, highlights the inherent chemical tuneability of organic semiconductors, and opens the possibility of their application to a number of different low-cost, scalable, and easily processable detector technologies.