Abstract
Optically activated glasses are essential to the development of new radiation detection systems. In this study, a bulk glassy rod co-doped with Cu and Ce ions, was prepared via the sol-gel technique and was drawn at about 2000 °C into a cylindrical capillary rod to evaluate its optical and radioluminescence properties. The sample showed optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL) bands attributed to Cu+ and Ce3+ ions. The presence of these two ions inside the host silica glass matrix was also confirmed using PL kinetics measurements. The X-ray dose rate was remotely monitored via the radioluminescence (RL) signal emitted by the Cu/Ce scintillating sensor. In order to transport the optical signal from the irradiation zone to the detection located in the instrumentation zone, an optical transport fiber was spliced to the sample under test. This RL signal exhibited a linear behavior regarding the dose rate in the range at least between 1.1 mGy(SiO2)/s and 34 Gy(SiO2)/s. In addition, a spectroscopic analysis of this RL signal at different dose rates revealed that the same energy levels attributed to Cu+ and Ce3+ ions are involved in both the RL mechanism and the PL phenomenon. Moreover, integrated intensities of the RL sub-bands related to both Cu+ and Ce3+ ions depend linearly on the dose rate at least in the investigated range from 102 mGy(SiO2)/s up to 4725 mGy(SiO2)/s. The presence of Ce3+ ions also reduces the formation of HC1 color centers after X-ray irradiation.
Highlights
The development of new radiation detection systems based on doped host glasses is the subject of intense investigations [1,2,3,4]
X-rays exhibit emission signals in blue and green regions, respectively [7,8]. Based on these optical activities and on the ability to control the size and shape of sol-gel samples, efficient copper or cerium-doped silica glasses were used as scintillators in distant dosimeters coupled with optical fibers. Those materials dedicated to dosimetry were sensitive to X-rays thanks to radioluminescence (RL) and Materials 2020, 13, 2611; doi:10.3390/ma13112611
In our previous study related to single Cu-doped sol-gel bulk glasses, we reported an ionizing radiation-induced in the blue spectral range
Summary
The development of new radiation detection systems based on doped host glasses is the subject of intense investigations [1,2,3,4]. X-rays exhibit emission signals in blue and green regions, respectively [7,8] Based on these optical activities and on the ability to control the size and shape of sol-gel samples, efficient copper or cerium-doped silica glasses were used as scintillators in distant dosimeters coupled with optical fibers. In the case of copper-doped silica glasses, compared to cerium-doped ones, a darkening effect appeared after exposure to a dose level of 50 kGy(SiO2 ), the material remained X-ray-sensitive [8] This effect is caused by the appearance of radio-induced colored centers, such as HC1, presenting visible absorption bands [12]
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