The School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Seminar Series, “Crystal growth of inorganic scintillators” Presented by Dr. Mariya Zhuravleva
About the event
Crystal growth of inorganic scintillators
Presented by:
Mariya Zhuravleva, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee
Abstract:
Scintillation materials emit visible light after absorbing ionizing radiation, enabling their use in fields like medical imaging diagnosis (PET and CT) and radiation monitoring for nuclear security. Key scintillator properties include bright and ultra-fast luminescence, low afterglow, and the ability to discriminate between radioisotopes. We have found that advances in crystal growth can lead to significant improvements in scintillation performance that exceed previously accepted theoretical limits. In this presentation, the current state of the art of inorganic scintillators, crystal growth methodologies, and the prospects for further development will be discussed. In addition, new scintillation materials (ternary oxides and halides) discovered in our laboratory and their crystal growth via the Bridgman, Czochralski and the micro-pulling-down methods will be presented.
Biography:
Mariya Zhuravleva is an Associate Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee. She earned BS&MS degrees from Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology, Russia and PhD degree from Tohoku University, Japan (all in Materials Science and Engineering). She joined the Scintillation Materials Research Center at the University of Tennessee as a post-doc and later transitioned to faculty to continue her work on discovery, bulk crystal growth and characterization of inorganic scintillators. Zhuravleva has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds 15 U.S. patents on various scintillation materials. She has received several research grants including NSF Career Award. She served as the President of the American Association for Crystal Growth in 2019-2023.