Application of Sm³⁺ doped Gd<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>–Y<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>–ZnO–B<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> glass for development of X-ray imaging scintillator

Abstract

The X-ray scintillator materials are mostly made from single crystal. The limitations are high productive cost, and the process of producing is complex. There are numerous studies about developing new scintillators by using glass that are easier preparation and lower cost. This study tries to produce a new series of borate glass doped with Sm3+ in 20Gd2O3:10Y2O3:10ZnO: (60-x)B2O3:xSm2O3 formula with varying concentrations of Sm2O3. The samples were measured and analyzed by physical, optical, luminescence and scintillation properties. The results showed that the density increased after increasing the Sm2O3 concentration. The strong emission intensity was observed from photoluminescence and radioluminescence measurements, and the concentration quenching was observed at 0.5 and 1.0 mol% of Sm2O3 respectively. The strongest emission peak of Sm3+ ion is located at 600 nm that corresponds to f-f transition of 4G5/2 to 6H7/2 level. Moreover, we found that the Sm3+ luminescence at 600 nm emission wavelength increases (up to 0.5% mol), while the Gd3+ emission wavelength at 313 nm decreases, attributed to the energy transfer (ET) from Gd3+ ions to Sm3+ ions. X-ray imaging was also observed by using Synchrotron X-rays. These results suggest that the developed glasses could be applied to X-ray scintillators material, especially imaging applications.