Nanoluminiscence, nanoscintilátory

Scintillating materials convert into UV, Visible or IR photon ionizing radiations (γ, X, electrons...). They are used in many devices dedicated to radiation detection in medical imaging, homeland security, calorimetry for high energy physics and others.

In order to optimize the scintillating performances to various applications, many scintillating compositions have been developed so far. Beyond the composition, the material shape is also crucial and some times very specific for some detectors. Thin films, needles or fibers are currently used or under development. The natural evolution is to study the nanoparticle case. Because scintillation is a part of the luminescence field, we discuss the specifications of the nano-emitters in terms of luminescence properties and move toward the high energy excitation case. We'll conclude with potential applications in ionizing radiation detection.