TL investigation of glasses from mobile phone screen protectors for radiation accident dosimetry

Abstract

TL dosimetric characteristics of glass screen protectors were analyzed for radiation accident dosimetry. Radiation-induced TL signal and intrinsic background signal of these glasses were investigated. An attempt to categorize the glasses according to the shape of their radiation-induced TL glow curve was made. Then, the main dosimetric properties were studied for a category of glass. Radiation-induced TL signal was light sensitive and TL measurements were done on the hard-to-bleach component of the TL signal after bleaching with blue LEDs. The sensitization was negligible after 5 cycles “irradiation – pre-bleaching – TL measurement”. The dose response was linear up to 20 Gy. Fading was negligible up to 100 h and limited to ~20% for the investigated time range of 12 days. The results of a dose recovery test were promising. These preliminary results are interesting, but further studies on a larger set of screen protectors are needed to really appreciate the potential of glass extracted from mobile phone screen protectors to be used as fortuitous retrospective dosimeter in the event of a radiological accident.