Thermal quenching and evaluation of trapping parameters of thermoluminescence glow-peaks of beta irradiated NaBaBO3: Tb3+ for TLD applications

Abstract

Here, we report the thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics and trapping parameters under beta ray excitations of pelletized Tb incorporated NaBaBO3 synthesized through the gel combustion method. The chemical composition of this new phosphor was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The best doping concentration of Tb was 2 mass%, which results in the highest luminous efficiency. The glow curves of the pellet-formed samples exposed to β irradiation at various doses showed glow peaks at about 188 °C, and 288 °C with a heating rate of 2 °Cs−1. The trapping parameters (E, b, s) related with the prominent the TL glow peaks were determined using Tm-Tstop, initial rise (IR), computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD), and variable heating rate (VHR) methods. In the range of 0.1–40 Gy, the total integral values of TL output enlarge linearly with increased dose. The GCD approach was also used to calculate the number of the glow peaks necessary to ensure an appropriate match to the TL response of the phosphor sample and seven TL glow peaks were estimated for all doses (FOM 1.75%), similar to the analysis of Tm-Tstop. The thermal quenching parameters of Tb activated NaBaBO3 for the 1st and 2nd peaks are measured to be W = 0.39 ± 0.04 eV, C = 3.11 × 102, and W = 0.31 ± 0.03 eV, C = 3.11 × 102, respectively. The current results indicate that the NaBaBO3:Tb3+ phosphor is a suitable option in radiation dosimetry for environmental monitoring.