Studies on the tissue and water equivalence of some 3D printing materials and dosimeters

The tissue/water equivalent properties of phantom materials and dosimeters are necessary to carry out quality assurance (QA) and dosimetry in radiation medicine such as diagnostic radiology, imaging, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, etc. In this work, we studied fifteen various biological tissues and water-equivalence properties of some 3D printing materials, gel, and film dosimeters in terms of their effective atomic number (Zeff) over the photon energy range of 10 keV-20 MeV. The Zeff was generated with the help of the Phy-XTRa software. Results found that the various tissue/water equivalence properties of all the studied samples varied with respect to photon energy and the elemental composition. The film dosimeters EBT2-EBT3-HD V2-MD V3-EBT XD and 3D printing materials ABS, PLA, HIPS, PVA, PC,etc and gel PAGAT-NIPAM-MAGIC-MAGAT-FXG showed tissues/ water equivalence properties.The presented results will be useful for selecting the appropriate 3D printing materials/dosimeters for the QA and dosimetry in radiation medicine. Adjustment of the elemental composition during the manufacture of phantom/dosimeter may improve the tissue equivalence properties further.

Automated summary

The study investigated the tissue/water equivalent properties of various biological tissues and materials, finding that these properties vary with photon energy and elemental composition. Several dosimeters, 3D printing materials, and gels showed tissue/water equivalence properties. The results provide guidance for selecting suitable materials and dosimeters in radiation medicine.