Thermo-luminescence induced by gamma irradiation in sol-gel prepared zirconia–silica materials

Abstract 

Zirconia–silica materials prepared by the sol-gel method at different compositions were gamma irradiated with a dosage of 40 Krads for different irradiation periods. The thermoluminescent (TL) emission was studied as a function of the zirconia for temperatures from 100 to 300 °C. Pure zirconia produces a strong TL signal, followed by 50% zirconia sample, while pure silica and the 5% zirconia sample show a weak TL signal. This means that there exists a self-inhibited process possible due, on the one hand to the segregation effects of both components, and on the other to the stabilization of either tetragonal or monoclinic zirconia phases. This effect opens the possibility to control the TL signal in a wide range of dosages allowing to use this system as a wide range dosimeter.