Thermoluminescence characterization of nanocrystalline and single Y 3Al5O12 crystal exposed to β-irradiation for dosimetric applications

The thermoluminescence (TL) characterization under β-irradiation of undoped nanocrystalline Y3Al5O12 (YAG) prepared by precipitation process and the thermoluminescence of single crystal are presented. The crystallite size induces changes in the TL glow curves and the kinetic properties modifying the radiative recombination efficiency being different than single crystals. The TL glow curves of nanocrystals present wider thermal band than single crystals and with the advantage that the main TL peaks are located far from room temperature. The TL results suggest that both undoped YAG nanocrystalline phosphor and single YAG crystal presents good potential for β-ray irradiation dosimetric applications. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V