Fabrication of Eu<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> doped in high density and transparent silicoborate scintillating glass for synchrotron X-ray radiographic imaging application

Abstract

In this work, the glass system, xEu2O3 - 10SrO - 20La2O3 - 10Ta2O5 - 10SiO2 - (50-x)B2O3, where x = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 mol%, was fabricated using the high-temperature melt quenching method. The physical, optical, and luminescence properties of the glass were investigated to determine its suitability as a scintillation material. The transparent glass sample showed a high density and molar volume up to 4.72 g/cm3 and 40.57 cm3/mol, respectively, reflecting that higher NBOs in glass matrix. This result is also supported by X-rays photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. Absorption spectra represented peaks in the ultraviolet to near infrared regions, which can be confirmed the presenting of Eu3+ ion in glass matrix. Under UV excitation, the glass doped with 3 mol% of Eu2O3 shows highest intensity while scintillation light (X-rays induced luminescence) was highest performed at 7 mol%. The integral intensity of radioluminescence of glass is 26 % that of commercial BGO scintillator. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) was measured and the highest PLQY was correspond with emission intensity. The glass scintillator was used for X-ray imaging at beamline 1.2, Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI), Thailand and the spatial resolution was evaluated. Due to the strong light emission at 615 nm from 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu3+, this developed scintillating glass has a potential for X-ray imaging material in radiographic application.