LiAlO₂:Gd-Based Versatile and Ultrasensitive Detector for Gamma and Neutrons by Thermal and Optical Stimulation

Considering the low-level dose detection requirement for neutron and γ radiation in cancer therapy, synthesis and exploratory studies have been performed on a newly developed phosphor LiAlO₂:Gd. Our results reveal that the presence of both Li and Gd makes it sensitive to both gamma and thermal neutrons. The applicability of LiAlO₂:Gd for beta, gamma, and neutrons in both thermally stimulated and optically stimulated modes has been verified by extensive experiments followed by kinetic parametric evaluation with theoretical calculations. The current work confirms that LiAlO₂:Gd is a highly sensitive phosphor with a minimum detectable dose of 5.7 μSv for gamma and 92 μSv for themral neutrons. The phosphor is found to show very high sensitivity at low energy and dose. Its ability for detection and discrimination of both gamma and thermal neutrons makes it a potential material to be used in medical dosimetry.