Polysiloxane-Based Scintillators

In the following sections, we will describe the main characteristics of scintillators made of polysiloxane, with particular focus on the optical properties of phenyl containing base resins, the energy transfer among added fluorophores and the possibility to achieve not only good scintillation yield but also discrimination between different particles. Moreover, the correlation between the optimal radiation resistance tested for silicone scintillators by several techniques and the physical–chemical properties of the Si–O–Si-based network will be presented. Performances of polysiloxane scintillators as sensors of different radiations, including fast and thermal neutrons, are also presented, and will be described and discussed. Recent results on enhanced light output under proton beam irradiation on thin and flexible siloxane scintillators will be highlighted.