Enhancement of lyoluminescence by radiation sensitization and chemical dopants

Enhancement of the lyoluminescent effect has been accomplished by radiation sensitization of solutions of trehalose using doses of about 30, 100 and 300 krad. The disaccharide, along with associated radiolysis products, is then recrystallized from solution. Preliminary comparison of these doped sugars with untreated sugars, irradiated at doses of 1, 5 and 10 rad, indicate they give a better signal-to-background ratio for lyoluminescence dosimetry. A promising reaction model is postulated which assumes a two-component exponential decay of light, multiplied by a first-order buildup term for the dissolving factor. The model seems to fit both the ordinary and the luminol-enhanced lyoluminescent glow-curves. (author)