You may not know it, but a type of material called scintillators was probably involved when you had your last medical scan. Working with the French company Saint-Gobain, scintillator expert Pieter Dorenbos at Delft University of Technology is currently developing the next generation of these materials.
Whilst rushing towards airport security, everyone will undoubtedly zigzag their way through a bunch of queue poles with belts that make out the waiting lines before the actual security check. Once you’ve passed these lines, you’re probably not aware that you’ve already been checked for radioactivity. Some of the queue poles in airports contain detectors for radioactivity. This is, of course, to prevent travelers from carrying radioactive material onto the plane. It’s one of many applications for a special type of material, called scintillators.
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