scholarly journals Development and Characterization of Silver Containing Free Standing Polymer FILMS for Dosimetry Applications

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 3925
Author(s):  
Mantvydas Merkis ◽  
Judita Puišo ◽  
Diana Adliene ◽  
Jurgita Laurikaitiene

Polymer gels and films, due to their near equivalence to biological tissue, are amongst the most promising future dosimetry tools for medical applications. The application of polymer dose gels is limited by the sensitivity of dose readout methods and dose gel properties. It is a challenge to find suitable dosimeters for registration of doses delivered to the target by orthovoltage therapy units. The application of metal-particle-enriched polymer composites for dose registration in X-ray therapy might be an elegant solution, especially if recent dose-reading technologies exploring advantages of different physical phenomena are involved. In this work, X-rays from the orthovoltage therapy range were used for the irradiation of experimental samples. In addition, radiation-induced processes of formation of silver nanoparticles in AgNO3–PVA gels and in free standing AgNO3PVA films, also containing some additional solvents, namely glycerol, ethanol, and isopropanol, have been investigated, with the aim to apply the developed composites for medical dosimetry purposes. A simple and environmentally friendly method for the formation of free-standing AgPVA films at room temperature was proposed and realized for preparing AgPVA films for investigation. Radiation-induced synthesis of silver nanoparticles in AgPVA composites was investigated, analyzing LPSR-based UV-VIS spectral changes to the irradiated films with respect to irradiation doses, and dose-related tendencies were also evaluated. It was shown that AgPVA films were more sensitive for detection of doses from the interval 0–1.0 Gy, thus indicating potential application of AgPVA films for dosimetry purposes.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joseph Schuyt

<p>The luminescence of crystalline compounds can be used to monitor many physical phenomena, including doses of ionising radiation. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermoluminescence (TL), and radiophotoluminescence (RPL) have been successfully employed in dosimetry. However, few materials possess both the structural and luminescence properties required for medical dosimetry. This thesis aimed to investigate the luminescence features of the class of compounds known as fluoroperovskites. Emphasis was placed on studying the effects of irradiation on the luminescence properties, such that the compounds could be evaluated regarding potential applications in clinical dosimetry. Samples were primarily characterised using photoluminescence (PL), radioluminescence (RL), OSL, RPL, TL, and transmittance spectroscopy.  OSL was observed in the majority of samples due to the existence of electron trapping F-type centres. F-centre/Mn complexes were observed in all AMgF3:Mn compounds after irradiation and the energy levels of the complexes in each compound were experimentally determined. The most promising potential dosimeter host material was the near tissue-equivalent NaMgF3. When doped with Mn2+, the compound exhibited RPL via the formation of F-centre/Mn complexes and OSL via several trapping centres. The RPL could be probed independently to the OSL such that the compound could function as a hybrid OSL/RPL dosimeter. In the NaMgF3:Ln compounds, RPL occurred via the radiation-induced reduction Ln3+ → Ln2+ for Ln = Sm, Dy, and Yb. The reduction Sm3+ → Sm2+ was highly stable and could be non-destructively probed independently to the OSL. The Sm doped compound also exhibited radiation-induced conductivity that could be coupled with the RL, such that the compound could function as a real-time hybrid optical/electrical dosimeter. Charge kinetics, thermal quenching, and binding energy models were developed and applied to the compounds.   Finally, a two-dimensional readout system was designed and constructed. The capabilities of the system were evaluated using the OSL of NaMgF3:Eu and NaMgF3:Mn. Sensitivities to doses from < 10 mGy to > 1 Gy were obtained along with sub-millimetre spatial resolutions.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joseph Schuyt

<p>The luminescence of crystalline compounds can be used to monitor many physical phenomena, including doses of ionising radiation. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermoluminescence (TL), and radiophotoluminescence (RPL) have been successfully employed in dosimetry. However, few materials possess both the structural and luminescence properties required for medical dosimetry. This thesis aimed to investigate the luminescence features of the class of compounds known as fluoroperovskites. Emphasis was placed on studying the effects of irradiation on the luminescence properties, such that the compounds could be evaluated regarding potential applications in clinical dosimetry. Samples were primarily characterised using photoluminescence (PL), radioluminescence (RL), OSL, RPL, TL, and transmittance spectroscopy.  OSL was observed in the majority of samples due to the existence of electron trapping F-type centres. F-centre/Mn complexes were observed in all AMgF3:Mn compounds after irradiation and the energy levels of the complexes in each compound were experimentally determined. The most promising potential dosimeter host material was the near tissue-equivalent NaMgF3. When doped with Mn2+, the compound exhibited RPL via the formation of F-centre/Mn complexes and OSL via several trapping centres. The RPL could be probed independently to the OSL such that the compound could function as a hybrid OSL/RPL dosimeter. In the NaMgF3:Ln compounds, RPL occurred via the radiation-induced reduction Ln3+ → Ln2+ for Ln = Sm, Dy, and Yb. The reduction Sm3+ → Sm2+ was highly stable and could be non-destructively probed independently to the OSL. The Sm doped compound also exhibited radiation-induced conductivity that could be coupled with the RL, such that the compound could function as a real-time hybrid optical/electrical dosimeter. Charge kinetics, thermal quenching, and binding energy models were developed and applied to the compounds.   Finally, a two-dimensional readout system was designed and constructed. The capabilities of the system were evaluated using the OSL of NaMgF3:Eu and NaMgF3:Mn. Sensitivities to doses from < 10 mGy to > 1 Gy were obtained along with sub-millimetre spatial resolutions.</p>


Author(s):  
Jing Tao ◽  
Zhengwei Fu

Objective: A facile, effectively and environmentally friendly method for preparation of well dispersed silver nanoparticles was reported. Methods: In the method, Capsicum annuum L. extract was used as both reducing and stabilizing agent without addition of any other reducing and capping agent. The generation of silver nanoparticles was found by alteration of color from light yellow to red and the UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The effect of extract and silver nitrate amounts on the formation of silver nanoparticles was investigated. Results: The shape of the as obtained silver nanoparticles was determined by using TEM and SEM, which illustrated that the silver nanoparticles are global in shape with a narrowly distribution from 5 nm to 25 nm. Conclusion: The crystalline structure of the silver nanoparticles was examined by XRD and FT-IR analysis, which showed that the silver nanoparticles were highly crystalline of nature and coated with biomolecule.


Author(s):  
L. T. Germinario

Understanding the role of metal cluster composition in determining catalytic selectivity and activity is of major interest in heterogeneous catalysis. The electron microscope is well established as a powerful tool for ultrastructural and compositional characterization of support and catalyst. Because the spatial resolution of x-ray microanalysis is defined by the smallest beam diameter into which the required number of electrons can be focused, the dedicated STEM with FEG is the instrument of choice. The main sources of errors in energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDS) are: (1) beam-induced changes in specimen composition, (2) specimen drift, (3) instrumental factors which produce background radiation, and (4) basic statistical limitations which result in the detection of a finite number of x-ray photons. Digital beam techniques have been described for supported single-element metal clusters with spatial resolutions of about 10 nm. However, the detection of spurious characteristic x-rays away from catalyst particles produced images requiring several image processing steps.


Author(s):  
Y. Cheng ◽  
J. Liu ◽  
M.B. Stearns ◽  
D.G. Steams

The Rh/Si multilayer (ML) thin films are promising optical elements for soft x-rays since they have a calculated normal incidence reflectivity of ∼60% at a x-ray wavelength of ∼13 nm. However, a reflectivity of only 28% has been attained to date for ML fabricated by dc magnetron sputtering. In order to determine the cause of this degraded reflectivity the microstructure of this ML was examined on cross-sectional specimens with two high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM and HAADF) techniques.Cross-sectional specimens were made from an as-prepared ML sample and from the same ML annealed at 298 °C for 1 and 100 hours. The specimens were imaged using a JEM-4000EX TEM operating at 400 kV with a point-to-point resolution of better than 0.17 nm. The specimens were viewed along Si [110] projection of the substrate, with the (001) Si surface plane parallel to the beam direction.


Author(s):  
R.T. Blackham ◽  
J.J. Haugh ◽  
C.W. Hughes ◽  
M.G. Burke

Essential to the characterization of materials using analytical electron microscopy (AEM) techniques is the specimen itself. Without suitable samples, detailed microstructural analysis is not possible. Ultramicrotomy, or diamond knife sectioning, is a well-known mechanical specimen preparation technique which has been gaining attention in the materials science area. Malis and co-workers and Glanvill have demonstrated the usefulness and applicability of this technique to the study of a wide variety of materials including Al alloys, composites, and semiconductors. Ultramicrotomed specimens have uniform thickness with relatively large electron-transparent areas which are suitable for AEM anaysis.Interface Analysis in Type 316 Austenitic Stainless Steel: STEM-EDS microanalysis of grain boundaries in austenitic stainless steels provides important information concerning the development of Cr-depleted zones which accompany M23C6 precipitation, and documentation of radiation induced segregation (RIS). Conventional methods of TEM sample preparation are suitable for the evaluation of thermally induced segregation, but neutron irradiated samples present a variety of problems in both the preparation and in the AEM analysis, in addition to the handling hazard.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
MY Deng ◽  
D Sturm ◽  
E Pfaff ◽  
GP Balasubrama ◽  
J Schittenhelm ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Ngọc Tuan Anh

Silver nanoplates (SNPs) having different size were synthesized by a seed-mediated method. The seeds -silver nanoparticles with 4 – 6 nm diameters were synthesized first by reducing silver nitrate with sodium borohydride in the present of Trisodium Citrate and Hydrogen peroxide. Then these seeds were developed by continue reducing Ag\(^+\) ions with various amount of L-Ascorbic acid to form SNPs. Our analysis showed that the concentratrion of L-Ascorbic acid, a secondary reducing agent, played an important role to form SNPs. In addition, the size and in-plane dipole plasmon resonance wavelenght of silver nanoplates were increased when the concentration of added silver nitrate increased. The characterization of SNPs were studied by UV-Vis, FE-SEM, EDS and TEM methods.


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