Influence of Cobalt-60 Gamma Ray Exposure on Physical and Thermoluminescence Properties of Silver-Doped Lithium-Strontium-Borate (LSBO: Ag)

Abstract

Silver being a multivalent interacts with oxygen and materializes into different phases such as Ag₂O, AgO, Ag₃O₄, Ag₄O₃, and Ag₂O₃. Borate glasses are very interesting amorphous materials considering their specific structure and physical properties, lithium borate is rather new in TL dosimetry compared to lithium tetraborate. Thermoluminescent (TL) dosimetry is an important technology utilized to measure the radiation exposure of this synthetic borate. This work investigates the properties of glow curve of lithium Strontium borate doped sliver glass (LSBO: Ag), subjected to Co-60 gamma irradiation. The glass samples were prepared in different compositions based on 15%Li₂CO₃ + 2%SrCO₃(83 - x) H₃BO₃ + xAgNO₃ , where x = 0.001,0.003,0.005,0.007,0.009 and 0.01mol% by traditional melting quenching method at temperature 1300^o C for 1 hour. The structural pattern of glass samples has been identified by X-ray diffraction. The XRD pattern shows that the samples are glasses since there is broader peak appearing in the spectral pattern. FESEM images verify the homogeneous and transmitting surface morphology of all samples. Stable glasses with Hurby parameter ~ 0.5 are achieved. EDX spectra determine the accurate elemental compositions in the samples. Physical properties are determined in terms of glass density, molar volume, polaron radius, inter-nuclear distance, and ion concentration. Glass density is found to increase from 2.45 to 2.46 g cm^-1 after addition of AgNO₃ concentration. The TL intensity at different compositions of lithium borate doped sliver glass after exposed to 50 Gy Co-60 gamma-rays is presented. The results clearly show that the highest TL intensity is found in glass composition of 0.09 mol% of AgNO₃.