Optically stimulated luminescence of the [20% Li2CO3 + x% K2CO3 + (80 - x)% B2O3] glass system

Abstract

This study analyzed the optically simulated luminescence (OSL) of borate glasses containing lithium carbonate and potassium carbonate. Borate glasses present desirable characteristics for dosimetry and have been extensively analyzed in relation to thermoluminescence (TL). Five formulations containing 20% of Li2CO3 and different amounts of B2O3 and K2CO3 were produced. Their OSL signal was analyzed following exposure to beta particles. The decay pattern typical of continuous wave stimulation (CW-OSL) was observed for all compositions. Depending on the parameter chosen to normalize the dose-response curve, the sensitivity range changed. If the initial OSL intensity was chosen as reference, the composition containing 65% B2O3 and 15% K2CO3 (named L15KB) presented the most intense signal. However, if the total area below the curve was considered, the composition containing 70% B2O3 and 10% K2CO3 (named L10KB) was the most sensitive. A comparison of the OSL decay for the two quoted compositions, after pre-heating to 200 °C for 10 s prior to the OSL readout, showed a slight change in the decay pattern compared to the absence of pre-heating. The pre-heating treatments also showed the correlation between the shallow traps and the fast component of the OSL decay for L15KB. For all compositions, an increase in dose implied an increase in emitted signal, and no saturation was observed between 0.1 Gy and 7 Gy.