Afterglow based detection and dosimetry of beta particle irradiated ZrO2

In this work, we report on the afterglow (AG) response characterization of commercially available ZrO2. Pellet shaped samples previously annealed in air at 1000  °C during 24  h were exposed to beta particle irradiation in the dose range from 0.5 up to 128  Gy and their AG decay curves recorded during 600  s after irradiation exposure. The characteristic glow curves of beta particle irradiated ZrO2 show two maxima located around 80  °C and 150  °C. The first one rapidly vanishes at room temperature, giving rise to AG. The integrated AG signal increases as dose increases from 0.5 to 128  Gy, with a linear dependence from 0.5 up to ca. 32  Gy. Excellent reproducibility of the AG response was observed in 10 irradiation - AG readout cycles, showing that the studied ZrO2 samples are reusable. The results here presented show that ZrO2 is a promising material for use as a radiation dosimeter based on the AG phenomenon.