| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T24: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Manufacturing and Processing of Advanced Ceramic Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Fabrication and Characterization of Cs2HfCl6 Ceramics |
| Author(s) |
Anna Zachariou, Steven Lass, Shariar Motakef, Samyak Dhole, Amlan Datta, Federico Moretti, Weronika Wolszczak, Romain Gaume |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Anna Zachariou |
| Abstract Scope |
Cs2HfCl6 (CHC) is a crystalline scintillator material researched for a variety of applications in nuclear spectroscopy, such as gamma-ray detectors, with potential for future commercialization. However, achieving the desired stoichiometry of this cubic compound when grown from the melt can be challenging, leading to inconsistent single-crystal growth and scintillation performance. To address these issues and provide an alternative for size scale-up, we have investigated the fabrication of polycrystalline CHC ceramics. This involved using pre-reacted and milled powders, processed through severe plastic deformation in a custom-built hot press. This method enables the densification of CHC at low temperatures and refines the grain size from a few microns down to hundreds of nanometers. Various aspects of the process, including the sublimation of hafnium chloride (HfCl4), the excess of cesium chloride (CsCl), and the hygroscopicity of the CHC phase, are discussed in relation to the transparency of the ceramics. |