Isothermal Decay Research Articles

Charge trapping characteristics of alumina based ceramics

The space charge dynamics is very important for electrical breakdown of alumina based ceramics. In this paper, the charge trapping/detrapping characteristics of alumina based ceramics were studied by means of isothermal surface potential decay (ISPD) method. For alumina and zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramic samples, the ISPD curves charged by corona discharge as well as microstructure characterization were carried out. For the first time, crossover phenomenon and hollow shaped potential profile were observed and reported in alumina based ceramics, indicating a surface potential decay process dominated by charge injection and volume conduction affected by the trap states in materials. In addition, the comparative trapping characteristics were evaluated based on a charge detrapping controlled decay model. The correlation between trap distribution and microstructure of alumina based ceramics was investigated. It was proposed that different charge trapping characteristics of alumina based ceramic samples was caused by varied shallow trap density of grain boundary.

Synthesis and dosimetry features of novel sensitive thermoluminescent phosphor of LiF doped with Mg and Dy impurities

Lithium fluoride doped with Mg and Dy was fabricated for the first time using melting method. The optimum concentrations of impurities and thermal treatment were studied to achieve high thermoluminescence (TL) sensitivity. TL sensitivity of the fabricated phosphor is close to that of TLD-100 powder. Tm-Tstop technique was used to identify the number of overlapped TL glow peaks. Initial rise, isothermal decay and computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) methods were applied to obtain kinetic parameters of the prepared TL material. Three component glow peaks were distinguished at temperatures 395, 448 and 510 K. Other TL properties such as fading, linearity of dose response and reusability are also presented and discussed.

Temperature dependent trap level characteristics of graphene/LDPE nanocomposites

The trap level characteristics are attracting much attentions in electrical and electronic engineering, which are closely associated with electrical properties of insulating materials. This paper try to modify the trap level characteristics of Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE), by incorporating graphene nanofillers into polymer with a filler content of 0.001, 0.003, 0.005, 0.007 and 0.01 wt%. The effects of filler content and ambient temperature on the trap level distributions are investigated, based on the isothermal surface potential decay (ISPD) method under 30, 50 and 70 °C. The experimental results show that the deep trap level and density increase with the filler content from 0 to 0.005 wt%, and then decrease with the further increase to 0.01 wt%. The increases of deep trap level and density affect the detrapping processes and suppress the electron injection into polymer bulks and cause a much slower downward trend in ISPD curves, especially at ambient temperature of 70 °C. Additionally, the apparent deep trap levels increase as temperature increases, since deeper and deeper traps are involved in the charge-release mechanism. It is concluded that the graphene nanofiller loading with a content of 0.005 wt% introduces large quantities of deep charge traps in the polymer-filler interfacial regions, which reduce the detrapping rate of charges and suppress the charge injection into polymer.

How reproducible are kinetic parameter constraints of quartz luminescence? An interlaboratory comparison for the 110 °C TL peak

Knowledge of the kinetic parameters E (thermal activation energy) and s (frequency factor) of charge-trapping defects in the quartz crystal lattice is of paramount importance to assessing the thermal stability of associated luminescence signals used for dosimetry and dating. Since methods proposed for constraining thermoluminescence (TL) kinetics usually make use of the signal response to thermal treatments, accurate temperature control is required to obtain valid E and s values. In an attempt to check the extent to which consistent kinetic parameters could be obtained using routine luminescence measurement equipment, we have investigated three methods (isothermal decay, initial rise and the Hoogenstraaten method) in an inter-comparison study involving eight laboratories using Risø and Freiberg Instruments systems. The target signal was the so-called 110 °C TL peak of a sample of Oligocene coastal dune quartz sand from the Fontainebleau sand formation (France).TL glow curves recorded with heating rates in the range 0.02–5 K s−1 showed peak positions varying up to 60 °C between systems at the highest heating rates, attributed to temperature calibration errors and/or thermal lag. Kinetic parameters derived from the complete data set show a large spread, covering the ranges ∼0.5–1.2 eV and 106–1017 s−1 for E and s. In most cases, interlaboratory variations exceeded those of replicate measurements within individual laboratories. Signal lifetimes at 20 °C derived from the isothermal decay (∼59 min) and initial rise methods (at low heating rates; ∼60–80 min) most closely match the value directly measured at 20 °C from within two luminescence readers (∼70 min). Finally, we discuss the consequences of these findings for dosimetry and dating using luminescence signals and possible ways to reduce systematic errors in laboratory measurements of kinetic parameters.

Preparation and thermoluminescent dosimetry features of high sensitivity LiF:Mg,Ce phosphor

Thermoluminescence (TL) kinetics and dosimetry features of newly produced LiF doped with Mg and Ce were investigated. Different contents of Mg (0–1 mol%) and Ce (0–2 mol%) were introduced in host material by melting method. The most TL sensitivity of the fabricated phosphor was obtained at 0.7 and 0.05 mol% concentrations of Mg and Ce impurities, respectively. The optimum pre-irradiation annealing regime of the synthesized LiF-based material was found at 350 °C for 10 min. Kinetic parameters of LiF:Mg,Ce dosimeter were obtained using different methods of computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD), initial rise (IR) and isothermal decay (ID). A good conformity are observed between the results obtained from different kinetic analysis methods. Other TL features such as fading, dose response and reusability were also examined.

Trap Distribution and Dielectric Breakdown of Isotactic Polypropylene/Propylene Based Elastomer With Improved Flexibility for DC Cable Insulation

In this paper, we report on electrical and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (PP) blended with polyolefin elastomer (POE) and propylene-based elastomer (PBE). Carrier trap distribution of the samples was estimated by isothermal surface potential decay measurement, while dc breakdown strength was measured through a pair of semicircle electrodes. Elongation at break and tensile strength were obtained to examine the variation in mechanical property of PP caused by the addition of elastomers. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) have been employed to assist the understanding of morphology of the blends, thermal properties, and mechanical properties. Obtained results have indicated that with the increase of the elastomer content from 0 to 30 wt%, the trap depth appeared to be shallower and the dc breakdown strength tended to be reduced for both PP/PBE and PP/POE samples. Compared with PP/POE blend, PP/PBE blend had deeper trap depth, which should be responsible for its higher dc breakdown strength. In addition, PP/PBE blend has presented a better performance in elongation at break and tensile strength measurement. With the growth of the elastomer content, the crystallinity of the blends appeared to decrease, whereas the melting and the crystallization temperatures did not change remarkably. The SEM inspections and DMA results revealed better compatibility between PP and PBE compared with that between PP and POE, which should be the reason for the better electrical and mechanical properties of PP/PBE blend. The blend of PBE with low content could result in remarkably improved flexibility of PP with acceptable electrical strength for dc cable insulation.

Nonlinear conduction and surface potential decay of epoxy/SiC nanocomposites

The nonlinear conduction of polymeric insulation may solve the surface charge accumulation, avoiding the distortion of electric field and the flashover phenomenon. As the silicon carbide (SiC) powder is usually used to improve the nonlinear conduction of polymer composites, the epoxy/SiC nanocomposites are prepared and the dc conductivity, permittivity and isothermal surface potential decay characteristics are investigated. The experimental results show that the conduction of high filler loading is field dependent and is attributed to a new conduction mechanism. The permittivity is closely related to the interaction zone around nanoparticles. The isothermal surface potential decay characteristics are greatly affected by the charging polarity, charging level and filler loading. The investigation indicates that the nonlinear conduction plays an important role in the surface potential decay.

Electret stability related to the crystallinity in polypropylene

Through mixing isotactic-polypropylene (i-PP) and atactic-polypropylene (a-PP), we have demonstrated the importance of the crystallinity in polypropylene as an electret material. Samples with crystallinities between 7 % and 47 % were used. A high degree of crystallinity in polypropylene, used as an electret, gives a better charge stability with respect to temperature and humidity changes. The semicrystalline i-PP significantly outperforms a-PP regarding charge stability. a-PP is an amorphous polymer. By mixing a-PP and i-PP, the degree of crystallinity can be controlled, while all other sample preparation processes and characteristics can be identical. This is important since the performance of an electret material is sensitive to its previous process history. Activation energies used for predicting the thermal potential decay are determined from thermally stimulated current and isothermal potential decay experiments. Activation energies from 0.98 eV to 1.41 eV were determined. From these values, a very good agreement was achieved between the experimental potential decay at room temperature for more than 290 days, and a theoretical estimation of the potential decay.

Characterising the luminescence behaviour of ‘infinitely old’ quartz samples from Switzerland

Abstract Less than 20% of aliquots measured for a set of ‘infinitely old’ quartz samples (i.e. burial time >1 Ma) from the northern Alpine foreland of Switzerland were found to display a natural signal that was in saturation. The signals from small aliquots displayed a range of saturation levels of between ∼300 and 600 Gy and dose recovery tests were successful up to 350 Gy. A comparison of dose response curves and test-dose response for a single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) and a sensitivity-corrected multiple-aliquot regenerative-dose (SC-MAR) protocols, showed similar growth and sensitivity. The addition of a large laboratory dose was able to bring the natural signals into saturation, and no evidence was found to suggest that the unsaturated signals were due to a problem with the SAR protocol. While laboratory isothermal decay measurements confirmed that the lifetime of the luminescence signal was insufficient beyond 1 Ma, a correction for the thermal loss of signal confirmed that natural signals should still be in saturation, and that thermal instability alone cannot explain the unsaturated signals. Fading tests recorded athermal loss of signal, and higher g-values displayed a significant correlation with lower levels of signal saturation. A combination of thermal and athermal loss of the signal is understood to be responsible for the unsaturated signals in these infinitely old samples. Extensive isothermal decay measurements revealed a surprisingly broad range of lifetimes for the quartz signals of over two orders of magnitude within the studied samples, and this was also observed in several batches of calibration quartz. While machine repeatability was shown to explain part of the observed variability, further work is encouraged on samples from other regions to establish the major source of the spread, and caution is recommended before making lifetime comparisons between studies and settings.

Determination of trapping parameters in BeO ceramics in both quenched as well as reconstructed thermoluminescence glow curves using various analysis methods

The trapping parameters of BeO thermoluminescence peaks 2 and 3 (with delocalization temperatures of 192 and 308°C respectively, obtained with heating rate of 1K/s) have been calculated using various analysis techniques, including the peak shape methods, isothermal decay, variable heating rates, the fractional glow technique and de-convolution. However, as BeO has been reported to undergo thermal quenching, both intensity as well as trapping parameters are affected, because the glow curve is distorted. Therefore, trapping parameters were calculated for both quenched and unquenched data of the aforementioned thermoluminescence peaks. The unquenched glow curves were determined by reconstructing the corresponding quenched; the following thermal quenching parameters were adopted: W = 0.60eV and C = 1.3 × 106 for peak 2 and W = 0.80eV and C = 1.2 × 107 for peak 3. The obtained activation energies and frequency factors before and after reconstruction were compared both for every method and also to previous studies. This study emphasizes the importance of reconstruction process on trapping parameters for peak 3, as this peak lies within a special temperature range where the efficiency gets values < 0.54. The main dosimetric peak is mildly affected by thermal quenching; thus before and after reconstruction the corresponding values do not yield significant variations. The average values for the activation energy and frequency factor after reconstruction were calculated as 1.14 ± 0.07eV and 9.9 × 1010 ± 0.4 × 1010 s−1 for peak 2; the corresponding values for peak 3 are 1.34 ± 0.08eV, 6.9 × 1011 ± 0.6 × 1011 s−1 respectively. Both peaks are described by first order of kinetics even after reconstruction has occurred. Individual peculiarities of each analysis technique has been both presented and discussed.

Studying CaSO4:Eu as an OSL phosphor

This study was carried out to investigate the properties of the OSL signal from Eu-doped calcium sulfate (CaSO4:Eu) phosphor and study on its thermal behavior as a function of temperature under a series of luminescence experiments. The suitability of its usage as an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter was also checked. CaSO4:Eu was synthesized using the precipitation method and prepared in pellet form. The dopant concentration value was performed as 0.1mol%. The synthesized CaSO4:Eu was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method to confirm the product. To have an idea about the crystallography and microstructure morphology of the material, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis were carried out. It was found that the OSL signal is a resultant signal having three components and exhibits thermal quenching above 150°C. The excitation spectrum of CaSO4:Eu showed different peaks in the region 220–360nm with the highest one at 269nm. Thermoluminescence (TL) signals of CaSO4:Eu pellets were obtained and compared with the TL signals obtained after OSL measurements of the same pellets by blue light stimulation. The low temperature peak near 180 °C did not show any significant change in TL after OSL measurement whereas the high temperature peak at 240°C was bleached with the blue light illumination and might be responsible for the observed OSL signal.The dosimetric properties such as dose response, minimum detectable dose, energy response, reusability, fading properties, thermal stability and effect of reading temperatures on OSL signals were examined. OSL signals of CaSO4:Eu pellets were decreased by approximately 8% at the end of the 24h and by about 7% at the end of 28days when compared with the first readout. The thermal stability of the ∼240 °C TL peak and OSL signal using isothermal decay measurements were used to determine the trap parameters. The CaSO4:Eu OSL dosimeter in accordance with the presented study allows a high-sensitivity OSL phosphor whose host material was previously known as conventional synthetic CaSO4 TLD material.

A new method for unambiguous determination of trap parameters from afterglow and TSL curves connection: Example on garnets

Due to presence of charge carrier traps, many scintillating materials exhibit afterglow. The de-trapping mechanisms are usually studied separately via either thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) or isothermal decay (afterglow) measurements.In this paper, we develop procedures to determine trap parameters such as thermal trap depth and frequency factor in an unambiguous manner by connecting TSL and afterglow measurements. In order to accomplish that, we have devised a special method of extracting the lifetime of trapped carriers from afterglow measurements, independent of kinetic order. The procedures are first shown on simulated TSL and afterglow curves and then illustrated using (Y,Gd)3Al5O12:Ce garnets as example.

Chemical modification with orthophosphoric acid enhances surface-charge stability on polypropylene electrets

The low surface-charge stability of polypropylene (PP) frequently limits its application as an electret material. In this paper, we demonstrate how the treatment of PP-film surfaces with orthophosphoric acid (H3PO4) enhances their charge stability. To discriminate between the effects of chemical modification and thermal treatment, as-received and annealed PP films are used as reference samples. The electret properties of treated and non-treated PP films are characterized with thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) and isothermal surface-potential decay (ISPD) experiments, from which considerable improvement in thermal and temporal charge stability is observed for samples modified with H3PO4. The half-value temperature (T1∕2) observed on TSD curves of chemically treated PP increases to 131 and 145 °C for positive and negative charges, respectively. The enhancement might be attributed to the phosphoric compounds detected on the H3PO4-modified surfaces via attenuated-total-reflection infrared spectroscopy. Deeper surface traps formed at the “foreign” phosphorus-containing structures are able to capture the charges over longer time periods and at higher temperatures, thus leading to significant improvements in the temporal and thermal surface-charge stabilities of PP electrets.

Testing the suitability of dim sedimentary quartz from northern Switzerland for OSL burial dose estimation

We investigate the suitability of sedimentary quartz associated with former glacial advances in northern Switzerland to provide reliable burial dose estimates using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). Previous studies on northern alpine quartz show that its signal characteristics can be poor and potentially problematic. We analyse quartz signals of small aliquots, which reveal the presence of a prominent medium or slow component in the initial part of some signals. Nonetheless, rejection of aliquots with unfavourable signal composition does not alter the burial dose estimates, but significantly reduces the data set for D&lt;sub&gt;e&lt;/sub&gt; determination. Signal lifetimes from isothermal decay measurements cover a wide range of values, yet the lowest lifetimes are high enough to guarantee a reliable burial dose estimate for samples of &lt; 400 ka. Comparison of small aliquot and single grain burial dose distributions reveals that signal averaging masks partial bleaching in some of the samples. We therefore strongly recommend single grain measurements for samples from this setting and area, in order to exclude age overestimation due to partial bleaching.

Research of Trap and Electron Density Distributions in the Interface of Polyimide/Al2O3 Nanocomposite Films Based on IDC and SAXS**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 51337002, 51077028, 51502063 and 51307046, and the Foundation of Harbin Science and Technology Bureau of Heilongjiang Province under Grant No RC2014QN017034.

The distributions of traps and electron density in the interfaces between polyimide (PI) matrix and Al2O3 nanoparticles are researched using the isothermal decay current and the small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) tests. According to the electron density distribution for quasi two-phase mixture doped by spherical nanoparticles, the electron densities in the interfaces of PI/Al2O3 nanocomposite films are evaluated. The trap level density and carrier mobility in the interface are studied. The experimental results show that the distribution and the change rate of the electron density in the three layers of interface are different, indicating different trap distributions in the interface layers. There is a maximum trap level density in the second layer, where the maximum trap level density for the nanocomposite film doped by 25 wt% is eVm at 1.324 eV, resulting in the carrier mobility reducing. In addition, both the thickness and the electron density of the nanocomposite film interface increase with the addition of the doped Al2O3 contents. Through the study on the trap level distribution in the interface, it is possible to further analyze the insulation mechanism and to improve the performance of nano-dielectric materials.

EPR investigation of the role of germanium centers in the production of the 110°C thermoluminescence peak in quartz

Abstract The identification of the center acting as electron source for the well-known 110 °C thermoluminescence (TL) peak of quartz is of fundamental importance for practical applications in dating and dosimetry. This TL peak was studied in parallel with the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal of the [GeO 4 ] − center on natural colourless quartz irradiated at room temperature. Immediately after irradiation, the signals of the 110 °C TL peak and of [GeO 4 ] − center decay exponentially in the same way, yielding a lifetime of 50.4 ± 0.9 min at room temperature. Besides, we acquired the isothermal decay curves for the 110 °C TL peak and [GeO 4 ] − center at different temperatures (the samples were held at the selected temperature in the range of 260–308 K). The lifetimes extracted by the isothermal decays were plotted as a function of reciprocal temperature, revealing again the same behavior of the 110 °C TL peak and [GeO 4 ] − center, both characterized by activation energies very close of 0.76 ± 0.07 eV and 0.77 ± 0.07 eV, respectively. All results of the present work clearly show the role of electron source of [GeO 4 ] − center in the emission mechanism of the 110 °C TL peak in quartz.

Trap distribution and direct current breakdown characteristics in polypropylene/Al2O3 nanodielectrics

Polypropylene (PP) is widely used as capacitor films due to its better dielectric, mechanical, and thermal performance. In order to reduce the cost and size of capacitor, high energy density for PP dielectric is pursued. Since energy density is in quadratic proportion to direct current (dc) breakdown strength for linear dielectric, the enhancement of dc breakdown strength for PP dielectric is a primary choice to improve the energy density. Considering that the incorporation of nano-Al2O3 is an effective method to improve the dc breakdown strength for polymer, it is required to study the dc breakdown strength of PP/Al2O3 nanodielectric. In order to explore the breakdown mechanism, PP/Al2O3 nanodielectrics with different nano-particle contents are prepared by melt blending, and the samples are prepared by hot pressing. Their microstructures are observed by scanning electron microscopic. Isothermal surface potential decay, bulk resistivity, and dc breakdown strength of the samples are also measured. The experimental results show that the energy and density of deep traps, bulk resistivity, and dc breakdown strength first increase and then decrease with the increase in nano-Al2O3 content. The maximum values are obtained at a filer content value of 0.5 wt%, where dc breakdown strength can be increased by about 27%. Based on interface model, the relation between microstructure and trap is investigated. In view of space charge breakdown theory, the mechanism of dc breakdown for PP/Al2O3 nanodielectric is explored by trap parameters. It is indicated that the interface can provide more deep traps in PP/Al2O3 nanodielectric, while the decrease in the energy and density of deep traps can be attributed to the overlap of interfaces in electrical double layer. The increase in the energy and density of deep traps makes more carriers trapped near the injecting contact, thus reducing the effective field for carrier injection due to the internal field generated by the trapped carriers. The reduction of carrier injection can moderate the distortion of field in PP dielectric, consequently, resulting in enhancing the dc breakdown strength.

Investigation of charge trapping and detrapping dynamics in LDPE, HDPE and XLPE

In this paper, charge trapping and detrapping dynamics of PE-based materials, i.e., LDPE, HDPE, XLPE were investigated by isothermal surface potential decay method (ISPD). The whole charge transport process including ions generation process in the air, charge trapping in the top surface, the surface potential establishing process, the charge migration process in the bulk was considered in these PE-based materials. The results showed that the trapping process was closely related to the capture cross section, the injected carrier concentration and the trap level. The established surface potential was mainly determined by the captured carriers in the top surface of the PE-based materials. In addition, it was found that the mobility of LDPE was much larger than that of XLPE and HDPE. And it is shown that deep traps may play a more important role in the charge migration process than shallow traps in these PE-based materials. It is indicated that the discrepancy of charge trapping and detrapping dynamics between these PE-based materials may be attributed to the different microscopic morphology.

Magnetic signature of river sediments drained into the southern and eastern part of the South China Sea (Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Luzon and Taiwan)

Magnetic properties of 22 river samples collected in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Luzon and Taiwan have been investigated in order to magnetically characterize the sediments drained and deposited into the South China Sea. The geological formations as well as the present climatic conditions are different from one region to another. Laboratory analyses include low-field magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic (ARM) and isothermal (IRM) remanent magnetizations acquisition and decay, back-field acquisition, thermal demagnetization of three-axes IRM, hysteresis cycles and low-temperature magnetic measurements. The magnetic properties indicate that the sediments are a mixture of hematite, magnetite and pyrrhotite in different proportions depending on the region. Combined with results previously reported for the three main Asian rivers (Pearl, Red and Mekong rivers), the new data indicate that, in general, hematite-rich sediments are delivered to the southern basin of the South China Sea while the northern basin is fed with magnetite and pyrrhotite-rich sediments. In addition to this general picture, some variability is observed at smaller geographic scales. Indeed, the magnetic assemblages are closely related to the geology of the various catchments while clay minerals, previously reported for the same samples, are more representative of the climatic conditions under which the parent rocks have evolved within each catchment. The magnetic fraction, now well characterized in the main river sediments drained into the South China Sea, can be used as a tracer for changes in precipitation on land and in oceanic water mass transport and exchange.

Sn vacancies in photorefractive Sn2P2S6 crystals: An electron paramagnetic resonance study of an optically active hole trap

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to identify the singly ionized charge state of the Sn vacancy (VSn−) in single crystals of Sn2P2S6 (often referred to as SPS). These vacancies, acting as a hole trap, are expected to be important participants in the photorefractive effect observed in undoped SPS crystals. In as-grown crystals, the Sn vacancies are doubly ionized (VSn2−) with no unpaired spins. They are then converted to a stable EPR-active state when an electron is removed (i.e., a hole is trapped) during an illumination below 100 K with 633 nm laser light. The resulting EPR spectrum has g-matrix principal values of 2.0079, 2.0231, and 1.9717. There are resolved hyperfine interactions with two P neighbors and one Sn neighbor. The isotropic portions of these hyperfine matrices are 167 and 79 MHz for the two 31P neighbors and 8504 MHz for the one Sn neighbor (this latter value is the average for 117Sn and 119Sn). These VSn− vacancies are shallow acceptors with the hole occupying a diffuse wave function that overlaps the neighboring Sn2+ ion and (P2S6)4− anionic unit. Using a general-order kinetics approach, an analysis of isothermal decay curves of the VSn− EPR spectrum in the 107–115 K region gives an activation energy of 283 meV.