Thermoluminescent response of gamma irradiated Na+–Cu+ ion‐exchanged silicate glass in large dose range

• Published in: Nuclear science and techniques Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 22 - 32
• Main Authors: Toumi, Safa, Farah, Khaled
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.05.2023; Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux,Département de Physique,Faculté des Sciences de Monastir,Université de Monastir,Monastir,Tunisia%Institut Supérieur du Transport et de la Logistique de Sousse,Université de Sousse,4023 Sousse,Tunisia; Laboratoire de Recherche en Energie et Matière,Développement des Sciences Nucléaires(LR16CNSTN02),Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires,2020 Sidi-Thabet,Tunisia
• Subjects: Beam Physics; Nuclear Energy; Particle Acceleration and Detection; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Gamma irradiation; Electron paramagnetic resonance; Cu-Na ion-exchange; Silicate glass; Thermoluminescence
• ISSN: 1001-8042; 2210-3147
• DOI: 10.1007/s41365-023-01223-1

The introduction of metals into vitreous matrices is the origin of various interesting phenomena; in particular, the presence of copper ions in glass has been the subject of considerable research because of its numerous applications. The ion-exchange process is primarily used to introduce copper ions into glass matrices. The thermoluminescence (TL) of silicate glass was studied to evaluate its potential as gamma-sensitive material for dosimetric applications; the effect of copper doping on the thermoluminescent sensitivity was investigated using the Cu–Na ion-exchange technique for different concentrations and doping conditions, over a wide dose range of 10 mGy to 100 kGy. The results showed that Cu doping significantly improved the sensitivity of the glasses to gamma radiation. After the ion-exchange, two peaks appeared in the glow curves at approximately 175 and 230 °C, respectively, which possibly originated from the Cu + centers, along with a weak TL peak at around 320 °C. We also attempted to explain the origin of the observed thermoluminescence by exploiting the Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. The results clearly show quenching of the TL emission with increasing copper concentrations. The present work indicates that the thermoluminescence response of these glasses to gamma rays can be reasonably measured in the range of 0.001–100 kGy. This study also facilitates the understanding of the basic TL mechanism in this glass system.