LiZnBO₃ phosphor for dosimetry applications

This study explores the dosimetric potentials of pristine lithium zinc borate, LiZnBO₃, (LZB) phosphor for medical application. The pristine LZB was synthesized by the solid-state reaction (SSR) technique. The structural properties of the synthesized composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) measurements. The FT-IR data shows that the functional groups are responsible for the peak intensity of LZB. The magnetic hysteresis (M-H) loop was characterized using Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM) to distinguish its magnetic characteristics and alterations. From the M-H loop, it behaves as a superparamagnetic material. A clinical Linear Accelerator (LINAC) was used to irradiate the samples with both electron (6 MeV) and X-ray photon beam (6 MV), with a dose range of 0.5 Gy–8 Gy for both beams. The experiment was designed to study low to medium-dose TL response for LZB. The irradiated samples were readout for thermoluminescence (TL) signal using a Harshaw-3500 TL reader with a fixed heating rate of 10 °C/s. The TL kinetic parameters of the composites were studied by analysing the glow curves using the peak-shape method. The geometric factor (μ_g) is found to be within the range of 0.42–0.52, which indicates the suitability of applying Chen's general-order formula to calculate kinetic parameters. The activation energy (E) is found in the range of 1.13–3.14 eV for 4 deconvoluted peaks of 6 MeV electron beam irradiation and 1.82–2.16 eV for 3 deconvoluted peaks of 6 MV X-ray photon beam irradiation. The frequency factor (s) also increases while activation energy increases for both electron and X-ray photon beams. All the obtained results confirm the suitability of LZB phosphor to develop a viable radiation dosimeter.