Influence of Teflon® agglutinator on TLD spodumene pellets

The possibility of using different materials for thermoluminescent dosimetry agglutinating their powder with Teflon® (a polymer) has been studied in recent years. In this paper the thermoluminescent properties of spodumene-Teflon® composites were studied exposing them to different doses of a 60Co radiation source, in comparison to the thermoluminescent properties of crystalline powder and of Teflon. The thermoluminescent emission curve of pure Teflon® pellets showed two peaks at 200 and 250 °C at doses above 1 kGy, which may influence the dosimetry of high-doses that uses crystals agglutinated with this polymer. Preliminary results show that the Teflon® causes an increased sensitivity in the TL signal of the pellet compared to the crystalline powder without the polymer, and that even the pure Teflon® pellet is a material that can be exploited for high-doses dosimetry.