A new gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator for reactor neutrino detection

A high flash point, low toxicity gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator (Gd-LS) has been developed for the detection of reactor neutrino. Carboxylic acid 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoic acid is used as complexing ligand to form organo-complex with gadolinium chloride, and 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO), and 1,4-bis[2-methylstyryl]benzene (bis-MSB) are used as primary fluor and wavelength shifter, respectively. The scintillator base is linear alkyl benzene (LAB). The Gd-LS prepared with such recipe has long attenuation length, high light yield and long-term stability. Eight hundred liters of Gd-LS (1 g/L Gd) was synthesized and tested in a prototype detector at Institute of High Energy Physics. Preliminary results of the obviously peaks corresponding to neutron captured by H and Gd give an additional evidence that such Gd-LS are very promising for anti-neutrino detection.