Abstract
Nano/micro BaSO4 were prepared through the co-precipitation method to measure ionizing radiation doses using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The nano-BaSO4 sample was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The dose response and fading properties of nano- and micro-phase BaSO4 were compared in EPR spectra. The prepared nano- and micro-BaSO4 samples have the same hole and electron centers, which may be attributed to SO4− and SO3−, respectively. The dosimetric signals for prepared nano- and micro-BaSO4 have spectroscopic splitting factor (g) with values 2.0025±0.0006 and 2.0027±0.0006, respectively. The nanocrystalline sample has a linear γ-ray dose response over the range 0.4Gy–1kGy. The performance parameters which including detection limit and critical level calculated from weighted and unweighted least-squares fitting. The sensitivity of nano-BaSO4 to γ-ray is one and a half times more than alanine. The lifetime and activation energy for nano-BaSO4 were estimated by conducting a thermal stability study, and were 5.7±1.1×104 years and 0.73±0.14eV, respectively. The combined and expanded uncertainties accompanying measurements were ±3.89% and ±7.78%, respectively.
•Preparation of nano-BaSO4 using the co-precipitation method.•Study of the dosimetric properties of nano-barium sulfate using the EPR technique.•Comparison between a new EPR dosimeter using nano-materials and standard alanine.•Calculation of the uncertainty budget for nano-BaSO4.