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Assembly Materials
An assortment of materials for an optical interface, wrapping and reflector materials are available for assembling your own detector.
- BC-631 Silicone Optical Grease
- BC-634A Optical Interface Pad
- BC-637 High-temperature Optical Interface Pad
- BC-622A Reflector Paint for Liquid Scintillators
- BC-638 Black Wrapping Tape
- BC-640 Plastic Masking Tape
- BC-642 PTFE Reflector Tape
- BC-490 Plastic Scintillator Casting Resin
- BC-498 Beta Detection Paint
BC-631 is a clear, colorless, silicone, optical coupling compound that features excellent light transmission and low evaporation and bleed at 25oC. It has a specific gravity of 0.976 and 1.465 Index of Refraction. It is not recommended that BC-631 optical grease be used with a Teflon reflector except for temporary optical coupling. We supply this single component formulation in a jar.
BC-631 Optical Grease |
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|---|---|
| 113 g (~ 125 ml) | 6631-0113 |
| 453 g (~ 500 ml) | 6631-0453 |
BC-634A is a silicone-adhesive coupling compound for making an optically clear bond between the scintillator and photomultiplier tube. BC-634A is formulated for use within the temperature range of -10 to +60oC, has an index of refraction of 1.42 and an internal transmission >98% around 400nm. BC-634A is a self-wetting, flexible pad just hard enough to resist tearing while handling.
Note: If you cannot maintain sufficient interface pressure, apply a thin film of coupling grease to both sides of the interface pad.
We supply BC-634 as ready-to-use disks in specified diameters and in thicknesses of 1, 3 and 6 mm.
Optical Pad Standard Sizes and Part Numbers |
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|---|---|---|
| Diameter inches (mm) |
Thickness inches (mm) |
Part number |
| 1” (25.4mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6634A-00047 |
| 1” (25.4mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6634A-00041 |
| 1" (25.4mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | 6634A-00165 |
| 1.5” (38.1mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6634A-00068 |
| 1.5” (38.1mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6634A-00057 |
| 1.5” (38.1mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | 6634A-00194 |
| 2” (50.8mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6634A-00046 |
| 2” (50.8mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6634A-00056 |
| 2” (50.8mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | 6634A-00096 |
| 3” (76.2mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6634A-00021 |
| 3” (76.2mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6634A-00042 |
| 3” (76.2mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | 6634A-00166 |
| Typical Thickness Tolerance: +/-0.25 mm (+/-0.0098") Typical Diameter Tolerance: +/- 1 mm (+/-0.039") |
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BC-637 interface pads are a silicone-adhesive coupling compound for making an optically clear bond between the scintillator and photomultiplier tube. BC-637 is rated to 200 C.
Optical Pad Standard Sizes |
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|---|---|---|
| Diameter inches (mm) |
Thickness inches (mm) |
Part number |
| 1” (25.4mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6637-00003 |
| 1” (25.4mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6637-00031 |
| 1” (25.4mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | |
| 1.5” (38.1mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6637-00054 |
| 1.5” (38.1mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6637-00056 |
| 1.5” (38.1mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | |
| 2” (50.8mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6637-00004 |
| 2” (50.8mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6637-00010 |
| 2” (50.8mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | |
| 3” (76.2mm) | 0.039 (1mm) | 6637-00075 |
| 3” (76.2mm) | 0.118 (3mm) | 6637-00024 |
| 3” (76.2mm) | 0.236 (6mm) | |
| Typical Thickness Tolerance: +/-0.25 mm (+/-0.0098") Typical Diameter Tolerance: +/- 1 mm (+/-0.039") |
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BC-622A reflector paint made from cross-linked polyurethane resin with exceptional chemical resistance to aromatics hence best-suited for use with liquid scintillators. It is particularly useful in large, steel or aluminum tanks, which require application of the paint at the research site.
BC-622A Reflector Paint for Liquid Scintillator cells
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|
|---|---|
| 500 ml | 622A-00001 |
| 1 liter | 622A-00002 |
It is a diffuse reflector and, therefore, should not be used on the major surfaces of long, narrow tanks (total internal reflector and employed in these).
Note: Can be removed from metal by submersing in Methanol alcohol.
BC-638 is a black adhesive tape 2" (50.8mm) wide by .008" (0.2mm) thick. Wrapping a plastic scintillator in one layer will give you a light-tight seal.
BC-638 Black Wrapping Tape |
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|---|---|
| 2" wide X 32.9m long | S-1033-1 |
BC-640 is an adhesive-backed masking paper routinely used for protecting the surfaces of plastic scintillator during handling or storage.
BC-640 Plastic Masking Paper |
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|---|---|
| 12” (30.5cm) wide by 300' (91.4m) | 6640-00002 |
BC-642 Teflon® tape is frequently used as a reflecting material for non-hygroscopic scintillators. Three layers give you optimum reflectivity.
BC-642 Teflon Tape |
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|---|---|
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2" wide X 13.7m long on 3" PTFE core .003" (0.08 mm) thick (normal) |
S-1006-7 |
BC-490 is a partially polymerized plastic scintillator that is cured to full hardness by the end user. The scintillator thus formed is clear with scintillation and mechanical properties similar to those of general-purpose plastic scintillators. It is most frequently used in applications which require other materials to be embedded in the scintillator, and which require the casting of unique shapes (often in special holders).
BC-490 Cast Resin Kit sizes and part numbers |
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|---|---|
| 500 ml | 6490-00002 |
| 1 liter | 6490-00001 |
BC-490 is supplied in complete kits with detailed instructions. Each kit contains three parts: partially polymerized scintillator resin, catalyst, and catalyst solvent.
BC-498 Scintillator Paint for Beta Detection is intended for the experimenter who wishes to apply thin coatings of plastic scintillator to various substrates. BC-498 consists of a specially formulated plastic scintillator dissolved in an organic solvent. The material can be applied like paint by brush or by spraying. BC-498 can also be used to make thin films up to 100 microns thick. The most frequently used methods are evaporation or spinning1. The standard formula contains 24.7% polymer.
BC-498 is most often used to develop sensors for alphas, betas, and heavy ions.
BC-498 Paint |
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|---|---|
| 500 ml | 6498-00003 |
| 1 liter | 6498-00002 |
1 "Spin Coating Thin Films of Plastic Scintillator" E. Norbeck et al., Nucl. Inst. & Meth., A262 (1987) 564-547.