DOSE

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) [PVDF] is a semicrystalline linear homopolymer composed by the repetition of CH2– CF2 monomers. The Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluorethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] is a copolymer which is obtained with the random introduction of fluorinated CHF-CF2 monomers in the PVDF main chain. PVDF, and also its copolymers with TrFE contents ranging from 18 to 63 wt. %, have long been studied for their striking ferroelectric properties and their applications in actuators, transducers and ferroelectric memory. Recent research work around the world have demonstrated that, for TrFE contents ranging from with 30 to 50 wt. %, the copolymer can have its ferroelectric properties modified by high doses of ionizing radiation, with the appearing of radio-induced relaxor ferroelectric features. These studies have lead us to investigate the possible use of these copolymers as high dose dosemeters, once the reported amount of induced C=C conjugated bonds after X-ray, UV and gamma irradiation seems to be a function of the delivered radiation dose. In a first investigation for doses ranging from 0.1 to 100 kGy we found out a linear relation between the gamma radiation dose and the absorption peak intensities in the UV region of the spectrum, i.e., at 223 and 274 nm. The absorption peak at 223 nm is the most sensitive to gamma rays and can be used for detecting gamma doses ranging from 0.3 to 75 kGy. Simultaneously, the absorption peak at 274 nm can be used for doses ranging fro