Study of l-aspartic acid for its possible use as a dosimeter in the interval of 3.4–20kGy at different irradiation temperatures

Abstract

Abstract Certain commercial applications of radiation processing increase the efficiency of chemical reactions at low temperatures to decrease the free radicals in the bulk material and avoid the synergistic effects of heat. Such applications have motivated the search for a reliable, low-temperature dosimeter for use under the conditions of the irradiation process. For this purpose, polycrystalline samples of l -aspartic acid (2-aminobutanedioic acid) were irradiated with gamma rays at low temperatures and doses in the kiloGray range (3.4–64 kGy). The potential use of the aspartic acid system as a chemical dosimeter is based on the formation of stable free radicals when the amino acid is exposed to ionizing radiation. These radicals can be studied and quantified using electron spin resonance (ESR). The response curves at different temperatures show that the intensity of the ESR spectra (the five characteristic lines) depends on the dose received. The response of the dosimeter increases with increasing temperature, and this relationship is linear up to 20 kGy at 298 K. The decay characteristics show that the change in the ESR signal over time is low and reproducible. In addition, the l -aspartic acid dosimeter is easy to handle and has low cost.