Radio-fluorogenic co-polymerization. A new (chemical) method of dose monitoring and imaging

Complete text of publication follows. We have developed a new type of radiation dosimeter which is based on radio-fluorogenic co-polymerization 'RFCP'. In this method the dosimeter consists of a liquid monomer which polymerizes when exposed to high energy radiation, for example methylmethacrylate. Dissolved in this bulk monomer is a small (ca millimolar) concentration of a compound that is non-fluorescent but which becomes fluorescent when it is incorporated into a growing polymer chain. The resulting fluorescence is then proportional to the yield of initiating free-radicals formed and hence to the accumulated radiation dose. The method is illustrated by application to remote, real-time dose monitoring within a small (< 0.2 ml) volume. Using a semi-rigid gel form of the RFCP dosimeter, two and three dimensional fluorescent images of a masked 3 MeV electron beam and a 6 MeV X-ray beam have been created.