Thermoluminescent properties of lithium borate, magnesium borate and calcium sulfate developed for temperature sensing

The objective of this work is to characterize three thermoluminescent (TL) materials synthesized in our laboratory and identified as having properties suitable for temperature sensing, including bright TL emission, low fading at room temperature and low light-induced fading (bleaching) of the TL signal. They are lithium borate doped with copper and silver, Li2B4O7:Cu,Ag (LBO), magnesium borate doped with dysprosium and lithium, MgB4O7:Dy,Li (MBO), and calcium sulfate doped with cerium and terbium, CaSO4:Ce,Tb (CSO). We present their synthesis, powder X-ray diffractograms, TL emission spectra, dose response, and sensitivity to ionizing radiation (compared to commercial LiF:Mg,Ti TL material). Important characteristics for temperature sensing applications, such as fading and bleaching, are presented and discussed. LBO and MBO presented in this work have TL emissions in separate regions of the spectrum, meaning that they can be used simultaneously for temperature measurements, their TL signal being separated in the laboratory using appropriate optical filters. The data presented in this paper provides the supporting basic information required to use these materials in temperature sensing experiments. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.