Synthesis and optical properties of novel Gd3+-doped BaZn2(PO4)2 glass-ceramics for radiation detection applications

45 P2O5-15 BaO-25 ZnO-15 B2O3glasses doped with different concentrations(0 mol%,0.1 mol%,0.25 mol%,0.5 mol%,and 0.75 mol%) of Gd3+were prepared by a melt-quenching method and treated to fabricate glass-ceramics containing BaZn2(PO4)2crystals by controllable crystallization.The structural,optical,and dosimetric properties were investigated.FTIR spectra indicate that the glasses are composed of [PO4],[BO3],and [BO4] basic structural units.The XRD pattern analysis indicates that the samples contain BaZn2(PO4)2crystals.In the photoluminesce nce(PL) spectra,two emission bands are observed at 307 and 313 nm due to the6P5/2→8S7/2and6P7/2→8S7/2transitions of Gd3+,respectively.The OSL dosimetric properties of glass-ceramics were studied further under beta radiation of90Sr.The optimal Gd3+doping concentration of 0.5 mol% was determined.The fading of the OSL signal shows that the CW-OSL signal of Gd3+-doped BaZn2(PO4)2glass-ceramics decays by about 58.95% within120 h,and the intensity remains stable thereafter.The thermoluminescence(TL) curve has three peaks at 164,240,and 344℃.Minimum detectable dose(MDD) of the 0.5 mol% Gd3+-doped BaZn2(PO4)2glass-ceramics was calculated as 0.675 mGy.The samples also exhibit good signal reusability and a broad linear dose-response range(0.3-500 Gy).Results show the excellent dosimetric properties of Gd3+-doped BaZn2(PO4)2glass-ceramics and their potential application in radiation dosimetry.