Afterglow based detection and dosimetry of beta particle irradiated ZrO2

Abstract In this work, we report on the afterglow (AG) response characterization of commercially available ZrO 2 . Pellet shaped samples previously annealed in air at 1000  °C during 24  h were exposed to beta particle irradiation in the dose range from 0.5 up to 128  Gy and their AG decay curves recorded during 600  s after irradiation exposure. The characteristic glow curves of beta particle irradiated ZrO 2 show two maxima located around 80  °C and 150  °C. The first one rapidly vanishes at room temperature, giving rise to AG. The integrated AG signal increases as dose increases from 0.5 to 128  Gy, with a linear dependence from 0.5 up to ca . 32  Gy. Excellent reproducibility of the AG response was observed in 10 irradiation – AG readout cycles, showing that the studied ZrO 2 samples are reusable. The results here presented show that ZrO 2 is a promising material for use as a radiation dosimeter based on the AG phenomenon.