Synthesis and effect of copper incorporation on the thermoluminescence and structural properties of SiO₂ particles

Full text: In this work, we evaluated the effect of Cu-dopant concentration in SiO₂ particles on structural and thermoluminescence (Tl) properties, prepared by the sol-gel technique. Tl studies in silica samples containing Cu show an important enhancement of their Tl response when compared with pure silica samples. In the copper doped silica a prominent Tl peak is observed, the glow curve was observed between 70 and 450 degrees C after exposure to beta irradiation. The maximum temperature of the glow peak centered at around 140 degrees C shifts to higher values and the intensity enhancement with increasing Cu content, this glow curve is surely composed of several overlapped individual Tl peaks. Also, the particle size is affected by the concentration of Cu dopant. In the case SiO₂, only is observed a glow peak centered to 95 degrees C, which is interesting for non-Tl dosimetry of ionizing radiation, which is based in detecting the afterglow response following exposure to radiation. The dose response of SiO₂:Cu showed a linear behaviour in the interval studied with no saturation evidence until 6.4 kGy, which makes this material suitable and promising for medical, industrial and also space dosimetry applications. (Author)