Scholarlink

<p>In the present work, low-temperature-treated pure europium oxide (Eu<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) was used as a phosphor and investigated for under moderated <sup>252</sup>Cf thermal neutron irradiation conditions for thermoluminescence dosimetric applications. A moderated <sup>252</sup>Cf spontaneous-fission neutron source providing a thermal neutron flux of  ~ 10<sup>6</sup> n cm<sup>−2</sup>&#xa0;s<sup>−1</sup> was used for irradiation of Eu<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> phosphors. All the thermal neutron fluences were measured ex-situ based on the irradiation time. For structural confirmation, the phosphors were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD results revealed a cubic crystal structure, and a decrease in the intensity of characteristic diffraction peaks was observed with increasing neutron fluence, indicating irradiation-induced structural modifications. Moreover, the thermal neutron dosimetric characteristics of the present phosphor, including the thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve, TL dose–response, and fading behavior, were systematically invistigated. The phosphor exhibited a prominent TL glow peak around 303 °C, corresponding to a a deeper level dosimetric trap. The TL response of the Eu<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> phosphor as a function of moderated thermal neutron fluence was found to be linear up to a fluence of 1.55 ×&#xa0;10<sup>11</sup> n cm<sup>−2</sup>, followed by saturation at higher fluence levels. In addition, the TL glow curves were analyzed using glow curve deconvolution (GCD), and the associated trapping parameters were determined. The deconvolution suggested the presence of multiple trapping levels contributing to the observed TL response. Gamma-ray spectroscopic measurements confirmed europium activation through the <sup>151</sup>Eu(n,γ)<sup>152m1</sup>,<sup>m2</sup>Eu reaction, supporting the thermal-neutron-mediated TL mechanism in Eu<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. However, the contribution of activation gamma rays and residual gamma background indicates that the measured TL response should be interpreted within the context of a moderated neutron–gamma mixed radiation field. The negligible fading (~ 1.7% over three months) and linear fluence response demonstrate the potential applicability of Eu<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> for thermal neutron dosimetric studies under moderated irradiation conditions.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Thermoluminescence characteristics of Eu2O3 phosphor exposed to thermal neutrons

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月20日

查看全文
  • Mahesh S. Bhadane,
  • Kishor H. Gavhane,
  • Preeti Padhye Kulkarni,
  • S. S. Dahiwale,
  • S. D. Dhole

摘要

In the present work, low-temperature-treated pure europium oxide (Eu2O3) was used as a phosphor and investigated for under moderated 252Cf thermal neutron irradiation conditions for thermoluminescence dosimetric applications. A moderated 252Cf spontaneous-fission neutron source providing a thermal neutron flux of  ~ 106 n cm−2 s−1 was used for irradiation of Eu2O3 phosphors. All the thermal neutron fluences were measured ex-situ based on the irradiation time. For structural confirmation, the phosphors were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD results revealed a cubic crystal structure, and a decrease in the intensity of characteristic diffraction peaks was observed with increasing neutron fluence, indicating irradiation-induced structural modifications. Moreover, the thermal neutron dosimetric characteristics of the present phosphor, including the thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve, TL dose–response, and fading behavior, were systematically invistigated. The phosphor exhibited a prominent TL glow peak around 303 °C, corresponding to a a deeper level dosimetric trap. The TL response of the Eu2O3 phosphor as a function of moderated thermal neutron fluence was found to be linear up to a fluence of 1.55 × 1011 n cm−2, followed by saturation at higher fluence levels. In addition, the TL glow curves were analyzed using glow curve deconvolution (GCD), and the associated trapping parameters were determined. The deconvolution suggested the presence of multiple trapping levels contributing to the observed TL response. Gamma-ray spectroscopic measurements confirmed europium activation through the 151Eu(n,γ)152m1,m2Eu reaction, supporting the thermal-neutron-mediated TL mechanism in Eu2O3. However, the contribution of activation gamma rays and residual gamma background indicates that the measured TL response should be interpreted within the context of a moderated neutron–gamma mixed radiation field. The negligible fading (~ 1.7% over three months) and linear fluence response demonstrate the potential applicability of Eu2O3 for thermal neutron dosimetric studies under moderated irradiation conditions.