Polymer Film Blend of Polyvinyl Alcohol, Trichloroethylene and Cresol Red for Gamma Radiation Dosimetry.

Muhamad Fatikul Arif,Muhammad Roil Bilad,Aris Doyan,Noor Maizura Ismail,Saiful Prayogi,Susilawati Susilawati

doi:10.3390/polym13111866

Muhamad Fatikul Arif, Muhammad Roil Bilad + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111866

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Journal: Polymers	Publication Date: Jun 4, 2021
Citations: 18	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Sumatera Institute of Technology, University of Mataram

Abstract

This study investigated the polymer film composite of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), trichlorethylene (TCE) and cresol red (CR) dye irradiated with gamma (γ) rays for potential application as radiation dosimetry. The film was prepared via the solvent-casting method with varying concentrations of TCE. Film samples were exposed to radiation from a γ-rays radiation source of 60Cobalt isotope. Color changes before and after γ-rays irradiation were observed, and the optical properties of the polymer films were investigated by spectrophotometry. Results show that increasing the radiation dose physically changed the color of the polymer film, from purple (pH > 8.8) without radiation (0 kGy) to yellow (almost transparent) (2.8 < pH < 7.2) at the highest dose (12 kGy). The concentration of acid formed due to irradiation increased with the increase in irradiation doses and at higher TCE content. The critical doses of PVA-TCE composites decreased linearly with the increase of TCE composition, facilitating an easy calibration process. The dose response at 438 nm increased exponentially with increasing radiation dose, but showed an opposite trend at the 575 nm band. An increase in the TCA concentration indicated a decrease in the absorption edge and an increase in activation energy, but both decreased for all TCE concentrations at higher doses. The energy gap for the direct and the indirect transitions decreased with increasing TCE concentration and γ-rays radiation dose. The results of this study demonstrated the potential application of PVA-TCE-CR polymer film as γ-rays irradiation dosimetry in a useful dose range of 0–12 kGy.

Highlights

Dosimeters from various materials have been intensively studied as devices to monitor radiation doses [1]
The polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-TCE-cresol red (CR) polymer film composite has been introduced for γ-rays irradiation dosimetry applications
The dose response at the 575 nm band decreased with increasing radiation doses

Summary

Introduction

Dosimeters from various materials have been intensively studied as devices to monitor radiation doses [1]. Dosimeters of colored thin-film polymer materials have been extensively developed for measuring the adsorbed radiation dose by materials, and have been applied in routine dosimeters [2]. The main technical advantage of a polymer film-based dosimeter as a radiation detector is its slightness and portability [3]. Some of the applications of film dosimeters include: routine high-dose radiation to food and beverages [5]; sterilization process [6]; radiotherapy in medical field [7]; and dye dosimeters [8,9,10]. Many materials have been developed and explored as radiation dosimetry, evaluated under different dose ranges [14,15,16]. A film-based radiation dosimetry can be developed from a mixture of polymers, with a dye as indicator. Coloring materials as indicators include: methylene blue and methylene red [4]; thymolphthalein (TP) [5]; ethyl violet and blue bromophenol [19]; cresol red (CR) [20]; tetrazolium violet [21]; and methyl viologen [22]

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