Investigation of thermoluminescence and kinetic parameters of gamma ray exposed LiF: Sm3+, Eu3+ nanophosphors for dosimetric applications

Thermoluminescence (TL) properties of LiF: Sm3+ (0.05 mol%) co-doped with Eu3+ (0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 mol%) nanophosphor for the applications of TL dosimetry have been studied. The nanophosphors have been synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method at 8 pH value. The phase purity of the prepared samples has been confirmed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. The XRD peaks broadening revealed the formation of the nanostructure, complemented by the TEM image. For TL studies, the samples have been irradiated with gamma rays using 60Co source in the irradiation dose range of 0.1 kGy to 30 kGy. In gamma exposed samples, the TL glow curve consists of single glow peak at 410 K and three shoulder peaks at 475 K, 550 K and 632 K. The dosimetry properties such as the effects of exposure doses, heating rates and fading characteristics have also been studied. The kinetic parameters such as activation energy (E), the frequency factors (s) and order of kinetic (b) of the glow curves have also been calculated by using Chen's peak shape method. The linear behavior of TL intensity with radiation doses and low fading shows that the LiF: Sm3+, Eu3+ Nanophosphor is a potential candidate for dosimetry applications.