PLA Renewable Bio Polymer Based Solid-State Gamma Radiation Detector-Dosimeter for Biomedical and Nuclear Industry...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Radiation Detection
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Polylactic acid (PLA) is a renewable polymer derived from corn and soy.
• Accurate gamma radiation dosimetry is crucial for biomedical and nuclear industries.
• Existing dosimetry methods may have limitations in terms of cost, speed, or range.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate polylactic acid (PLA) as a novel solid-state detector for gamma radiation dosimetry.
• To assess the feasibility of using PLA for rapid-turnaround dosimetry in the 1-100 kGy range.
• To correlate rheological and porosity changes in PLA with absorbed gamma dose.

Main Methods:

• Irradiated PLA samples with Co-60 gamma photons across different dose ranges (0-11 kGy and 0-120 kGy).
• Measured rheological changes by analyzing the differential mass loss ratio (MLR) after irradiation.
• Assessed porosity by preparing PLA wafers and analyzing them using optical microscopy and image processing.

Main Results:

• Mass loss ratio (MLR) showed a quadratic response to absorbed gamma dose, increasing from 0.05 to ~0.5.
• Void-pocket formation, indicative of rheological changes, increased with absorbed dose.
• Average porosity varied quadratically with dose, reaching up to ~18% in the higher dose range.
• PLA demonstrated rapid and accurate (+/-5-10%) gamma dosimetry over a wide 0-120 kGy range.

Conclusions:

• Polylactic acid (PLA) resin is a viable and cost-effective solid-state detector for gamma radiation dosimetry.
• The study confirms the utility of PLA for rapid dosimetry applications in the biomedical and nuclear sectors.
• Simple mass loss and porosity measurements provide reliable dosimetry data for PLA.