Observation of the trapping of radioactive inert gas radon on oxide glass surfaces: Macroporous scintillating-glass-fiber bundler alpha detector☆

Abstract We report the observation of the trapping of radioactive inert gas radon ( 222 Rn) on oxide glass under ambient air temperature and pressure of 300 K and 760 Torr, respectively. Radon diffuses from the source, through two macroporous scintillating-glass-fiber bundle alpha detectors in series, to the end of the linear closed system filled with ambient air. The strategy is to provide radon atoms and alphas emitted from radon and its progeny with large accessible scintillating glass surface areas for efficient trapping and detection, respectively. Diffusion-only transport mechanism could not explain the experimental observations, strongly suggesting the trapping of radioactive inert gas radon ( 222 Rn) on oxide glass.