Synthesis and dosimetric properties of the novel thermoluminescent CaF2:Tm nanoparticles

Calcium fluoride nanoparticles doped with thulium were synthesized for the first time by using the hydrothermal method. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The crystallite size of about 40 nm was estimated by Scherer's formula. The shape and size of the nanoparticles were also observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). T-m-T-stop method and computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) technique were employed to obtain the number of component glow peaks and kinetic parameters of the produced phosphor. Three overlapped thermoluminescence glow peaks were identified at 402, 426 and 467 K in the complex glow curve of this phosphor. The optimized concentration of T-m impurity was obtained at 0.5 mol%. Other thermoluminescence characteristics of this phosphor such as fading, reusability and dose response, reveals superior dosimetry features compared to its microcrystalline counterpart. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.