title: Effects of neutron irradiation on optical and chemical properties of CR-39: Potential application in neutron dosimetry.
abstract: Effects of high-dose neutron irradiation on chemical and optical properties of CR-39 were studied using FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) and UV-vis (Ultraviolet-Visible) spectroscopy. The primary goal was to find a correlation between the neutron dose and the corresponding changes in the optical and chemical properties of CR-39 resulted from the neutron irradiation. The neutrons were produced by bombarding a thick Be target with 22-MeV protons. In the FTIR spectra, prominent absorbance peaks were observed at 1735cm(-1) (C=O stretching), 1230cm(-1)(C-O-C stretching), and 783cm(-1)(=C-H bending), the intensities of which decreased with increasing neutron dose. The optical absorbance in the visible range increased linearly with the neutron dose. Empirical relations were established to estimate neutron doses from these optical properties. This technique is particularly useful in measuring high doses, where track analysis with an optical microscope is difficult because of track overlapping.
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Sahoo
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India. Electronic address: sam.tripathy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Tripathy
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Atomic & Molecular Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jena
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rout
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bandyopadhyay
mesh_terms: D065638:Absorption, Radiation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D009502:Neutrons; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: C028827:CR 39; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: CR-39; FTIR; Neutron dosimetry; UV–vis spectrophotometry