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Effect of different organic additives on the shape, size and scintillation properties of Bi4Ge3O12 powders synthesized by the microwave-hydrothermal method
A route for production of fine Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) powder is sought after to lower the cost of scintillation
devices and make their shapes more versatile. A systematic study of highly dispersed BGO crystallization
under the hydrothermal-microwave (HTMW) conditions was carried out in the present work. Anionic,
cationic and non-ionic surfactants, chelating agents and polyols were used to modify the synthesis and
their respective effects on phase composition and morphology were determined. It was shown that
chelating agents or other additives that are capable of forming complexes with the bismuth ions allow
the production of smaller, non-aggregated particles and have the procedure be scaleable. BGO powders
of various morphology were synthesized and study of the optical properties of the product discovered
their advantages over traditional single-crystal material. The BGO powders obtained in optimal HTMW
conditions are characterized by the presence of a single intense fast scintillation component with a flash
time of about 11 ns which is by an order of magnitude less than that observed in single-crystal BGO
(327 ns). This suggests the suitability of these powders for the production of scintillation materials with
improved properties. This material is promising for creating highly sensitive composite detectors with a
high rate of counting events.