Demonstration of Efficient Radon Removal by Silver-Zeolite in a Dark Matter Detector

Abstract: We present the performance of an efficient radon trap using silver-zeolite Ag-ETS-10, measured with a spherical proportional counter filled with an argon/methane mixture. Our study compares the radon reduction capabilities of silver-zeolite and the widely used activated charcoal, both at room temperature. We demonstrate that silver-zeolite significantly outperforms activated charcoal by three orders of magnitude in radon capture. Given that radon is a major background contaminant in rare event searches, our findings highlight silver-zeolite as a highly promising adsorbent, offering compelling operational advantages for both current and future dark matter and neutrino physics experiments. Additionally, this holds great promise for developing future radon reduction systems in underground laboratories in order to increase their supporting capabilities for ton-scale experiments.