Luminescent and dosimetric properties of CaSO4:RE,Mn (RE = Dy, Tb, Tm, Yb, Eu, Ce) phosphors synthesized by the slow evaporation method

Abstract

This study investigates the luminescent and dosimetric properties of CaSO4:Dy,Mn, CaSO4:Tb,Mn, CaSO4:Tm,Mn, CaSO4:Yb,Mn, CaSO4:Eu,Mn and CaSO4:Ce,Mn composites synthesized via the slow evaporation route. Structural and compositional characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The dosimetric performance of the materials was evaluated using Teflon-based pellets through thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve measurements. Additionally, Continuous Wave Optically Stimulated Luminescence (CW-OSL) measurements were conducted to assess their optical stimulation behavior. The TL emission spectra revealed characteristic transitions associated with both RE3+ and Mn2+ ions, with emission features strongly dependent on the specific dopant. The TL glow curves exhibited well-defined peaks in the UV and visible regions, with Tm,Mn, Dy,Mn and Tb,Mn codoped samples showing enhanced emissions at higher temperatures, a desirable feature for dosimetric applications. CW-OSL measurements demonstrated intense luminescence responses, particularly for the CaSO4:Tm,Mn and CaSO4:Ce,Mn compositions. A comprehensive dosimetric evaluation was conducted, including reproducibility, linearity and signal fading. Among the studied samples, CaSO4:Tm,Mn exhibited the most stable TL response, while CaSO4:Dy,Mn showed the superior OSL signal stability. Overall, the results demonstrate that these newly developed CaSO4-based RE,Mn composites possess excellent dosimetric characteristics, highlighting their strong potential as TL/OSL radiation detectors.