The possibility to detect fast neutrons with a multi-gap resistive plate chamber （MRPC） has been investigated. To detect fast neutrons, a thin polyethylene layer is coated on the surface of electrode glass as a fast neutron converter. The MRPC detects the charged particles generated by neutrons via the （n,p） reaction on hydrogen. A prototype detector has been developed and tested on fast neutron sources in order to evaluate its performance： good agreement between experimental results and simulation has been achieved. A detailed description of the detector and the experimental test results are presented.
Six-gap resistive plate chamber （MRPC） prototypes with semiconductive glass electrodes （bulk resistivity ～ 10^10Ω·cm） were studied for suitability in time-of-flight （TOF） applications at high rates. These studies were performed using a continuous electron beam of 800 MeV at IHEP and an X-ray machine. Time resolutions of about 100 ps and efficiencies larger than 90% were obtained for flux densities up to 28 kHz/cm^2.
