Synthesis and Characterization of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles with a Dosimetry Study of their Ability to Enhance Radiation Therapy using a Low Energy X-ray Source

Abstract

Objective: This study was undertaken to synthesize and characterize TiO2 NPs and to study the interaction of TiO2 NPs with radiation and then estimate the Dose-enhancement Factor (DEF) at different concentrations of NPs under low-energy excitation (14-35 kV). Methods: Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) Nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The structure, particle size and crystal phase were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Findings: The XRD pattern exhibited peaks that were assigned to analyse crystals with particle sizes from 2-10 nm. The X-ray absorption of TiO2 NP solutions and pure water were investigated. Solutions with 0, 3.33, 6.66 and 20% of the TiO2 NPs were used to study the X-ray absorption of the samples and the Dose Enhancement Factor (DEF) is evaluated. The experimental results showed that the X-ray absorption for solutions with 0, 3.33, 6.66 and 20% of the TiO2 NPs increased with increasing concentration for generated beams from 14 kV to 35 kV. Additionally, a Dose-enhancement Factor (DEF) was observed for low-energy beams between 14 kV and 35 kV. TiO2 NPs at very low energies (14-35 kV) able to display significantly enhanced X-ray absorption, resulting in a higher absorbed dose. Application/Improvements: Many scientists have focused on nanoparticles, such as TiO2 NPs, due to their numerous functions that enhance the nature of their antibacterial properties. Cancer is one of the reasons for human mortality. The main concept of cancer radiotherapy is the enhance radiation dose absorption at the targeted site by using high-Z materials. Keywords: Dosimetry, Low Energy Source, Nanoparticles, Radiation Therapy, Titanium Dioxide