A Gadolinium Metal-Organic Framework Film as a Converter Layer for Neutron Detection.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are known for their versatility in terms of their crystalline structure, porosity, resistance to temperature, radiation damage, and luminescence among others. Gadolinium (Gd) is one of the elements with the highest reported cross-section for low energy neutron capture, producing internal conversion electrons and γ rays as a result of the neutron absorption. The development of Gd-BTC films (BTC=1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate) is shown that were deposited on Si and Al substrates by airbrushing, and characterized by profilometry, Raman, EDX and X-ray diffraction.