Feasibility study of CaSO4:Eu, CaSO4:Eu,Ag and CaSO4:Eu,Ag(NP) as thermoluminescent dosimeters

• Thermoluminescent properties of CaSO4 doped with Eu, Ag and Ag nanoparticles were evaluated.
• Crystals were grown using a production route based in the Yamashita method.
• Glass or Teflon was incorporate to the crystals in order to obtain composites.
• The TL responses of the composites are proportional to the dose absorbed.
• The CaSO4:Eu,Ag(NP) + glass has potential to be used as a thermoluminescent dosimeter.

This work evaluates the dosimetric properties of crystals of CaSO4 doped with unusual elements, such as europium (Eu) and silver (Ag), including their nanoparticle forms, after the incorporation of glass or Teflon and compares them with well-known thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). X-ray diffraction analyses showed that samples of doped CaSO4 exhibit only a single phase corresponding to the crystal structure of anhydrite. Optical spectroscopy confirmed the presence of Eu3+ in the crystal matrix and a luminescent gain due the presence of silver nanoparticles. The composites showed thermoluminescent emission glow curves, with a single peak centered at approximately 200 °C for pellets with Teflon and at 230 °C for pellets with glass. The dosimeters based on calcium sulfate doped with europium and silver nanoparticles provided the most intense thermoluminescent (TL) emission of the composites studied. In comparison with commercial TLD, such as LiF:Mg,Ti and CaSO4:Dy, the CaSO4:Eu,Ag(NP)+glass produced in this work presented similar low detection limits and higher sensitivity. The new methods for the preparation of dosimeters and the incorporation of glass are shown to be viable because all of the samples presented a linear, reproducible and first order kinetic TL emission.