New polymer gel dosimeters consisting of less toxic monomers with radiation-crosslinked gel matrix

Abstract

New polymer gel dosimeters consisting of less toxic methacrylate-type monomers such as 2-hydroxymethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and polyethylene glycol 400 dimethacrylate (9G) with hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) gel were prepared. The HPC gels were obtained by using a radiation-induced crosslinking technique to be applied in a matrix instead of a gelatin, which is conventionally used in earlier dosimeters, for the polymer gel dosimeters. The prepared polymer gel dosimeters showed cloudiness by exposing to 60Co γ-ray, in which the cloudiness increased with the dose up to 10 Gy. At the same dose, the increase in the cloudiness appeared with increasing concentration of 9G. As a result of the absorbance measurement, it was found that the dose response depended on the composition ratio between HEMA and 9G.