ABSTRACT
A trivalent Dy3+ -activated K3 Ca2 (SO4 )3 F fluoride-based phosphor was synthesized using a solid-state reaction method and characterized for its thermoluminescence (TL) application. The crystal structure and surface morphology of the as-synthesized material was analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A series of the K3 Ca2 (SO4 )3 F:Dy3+ phosphor was irradiated using γ-rays from a 60 Co source and TL glow curves were recorded using a Nucleonix 1009I TL reader. The glow curve of the prepared phosphor showed a prominent single peak at 278°C. TL characteristics were maximum intensity at 1 mol% of Dy3+ ion with a single TL glow peak. The TL glow curve revealed linearity with increase in exposure dose range from 0.1 kGy to 3.0 kGy. Theoretical analysis of the TL glow curve of the γ-ray-irradiated sample was carried out using a computerized glow curve deconvolution method and trapping parameters such as activation energy and frequency factor were calculated using the initial rise method and Ilich's method. The synthesized Dy3+ -doped K3 Ca2 (SO4 )3 phosphor revealed excellent TL properties and was found to be a potential candidate for dosimetric applications.
