Structural and thermoluminescent properties of Cr3+-doped NaAlSi3O8 nanophosphors synthesized via the sol–gel method
摘要
In this study, the Na1-xAlSi3O8: x%Cr3+ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1 mol%) nanophosphors were prepared successfully using the sol–gel reaction method. On the base of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, the phase composition and average crystallite size of synthesized samples were determined. It was revealed that the Cr3+ ions were incorporated in the host matrix. The particle morphology and element distribution in Na1-xAlSi3O8: x%Cr3+ prepared samples were observed via energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) analysis. The presence of Cr3+ ions in prepared structure lattice was assured by EDX and XPS of Cr3+ ions in small levels. Thermoluminescence (TL) properties of the prepared samples, after being irradiated with a gamma radiation dose of 5 Gy, were studied. The sample with a 0.4 mol% of Cr concentration, designated as Cr0.4, was identified as the optimal one. The TL glow curves of this sample, after exposure to 500 mGy up to 30 Gy, exhibit a single TL glow peak at 205.0 ± 0.7℃, which is advantageous for better dosimeters. In addition, Cr0.4 shows a linear TL response for γ radiation doses ranging from 500 mGy to 18 Gy, and sub-linearity was found for 20–30 Gy. The trapping parameters for the Cr0.4 sample were examined using various analysis methods with the resulting values showing good agreement with one another. The results related to the TL dosimetric properties indicate that Cr0.4 sample has appropriate characteristics for the use as a luminescence dosimeter.