Theory and experiment studies of the 1,4-bis(4-methoxylstyryl)benzene as a wavelength shifter of liquid scintillator

A novel wavelength shifter of the 1,4-bis(4-methoxylstyryl)benzene (bis-4-MOSB) was synthesized by employing the classical Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction. Feasible analysis of the bis-4-MOSB as the wavelength shifter in a ternary liquid scintillator, in which p-xylene (PX) was as the solvent and 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) was as the primary fluor, was carried out. The optimum prescription with 3.5   g/L PPO and 25   mg/L bis-4-MOSB was obtained with regard to the light yield. A series of characterization tests based on the optimal formulation were performed. Compared with the 1,4-bis(2-methylstyryl)benzene (bis-MSB), the maximum absorption peak at 356   nm and maximum emission peak at 421   nm in n-hexane with the red shift of 10   nm and 3   nm, respectively, were measured accordingly. The light yield characterized by using a relative measurement method achieved as high as 75.85% of the anthracene crystal. A brief density functional calculation was conducted to have an insight into the electronic structure characteristic of the bis-4-MOSB in the scintillation process.