PMID- 33611608
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20210826
LR  - 20210826
IS  - 1432-2099 (Electronic)
IS  - 0301-634X (Linking)
VI  - 60
IP  - 2
DP  - 2021 May
TI  - Thermoluminescence study of pellets prepared using NaCl from Khewra Salt Mines in 
      Pakistan.
PG  - 365-375
LID - 10.1007/s00411-021-00894-x [doi]
AB  - In this study, the thermoluminescence characteristics of naturally occurring salt 
      (NaCl) were assessed for the development of a radiation dosimeter. For this 
      purpose, mined crystalline samples of salt were procured directly from Khewra 
      salt mines in Pakistan. The samples were hand crushed, sieved, and compressed to 
      pellets comparable in size to standard TLD chips, and irradiated to gamma 
      radiation doses in the range of 5 mGy and 5000 mGy. Thermoluminescence (TL) 
      response showed three main peaks in the glow curve around 115-130  degrees C, 150-170  degrees C, 
      and 220-240  degrees C. A linear TL response was observed for the dose range of 
      5-100 mGy. The TL response became supra-linear for the dose ranges of 
      100-1000 mGy and 1000-5000 mGy. The T(m)-T(stop) method was applied to identify 
      the overlapping peaks of the glow curve. Computerized glow curve deconvolution 
      (CGCD) was then employed for the characterization of electron trap parameters 
      such as frequency factor (s), activation energy (E), and the kinetic order (b), 
      using General Order (GO) kinetics. The figure-of-merit (FOM) was found to be 
      1.08%, 0.94%, 0.77%, and 0.75%, at 500 mGy, 1 Gy, 2 Gy, and 5 Gy, respectively. 
      The TL intensity faded by 20% within the first 24 h after irradiation and finally 
      stabilized after two weeks. In addition, structural, morphological, and elemental 
      analyses, were also performed using various analytical techniques. X-ray 
      diffraction (XRD) showed that the salt crystallizes in a face-centered cubic 
      structure. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs indicated that the 
      crystallites are closely packed and cubic-shaped with non-uniform size, and 
      mostly found in the agglomerated form. Similarly, the elemental analysis 
      confirmed the presence of impurities such as Mg, Sr, S, K, O, and Ca, in the 
      samples. The present study concludes that the pellets made from salt samples from 
      Khewra mines have a potential for use as radiation dosimeters.
FAU - Ahmad, Khalil
AU  - Ahmad K
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan.
FAU - Kakakhel, M Basim
AU  - Kakakhel MB
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-0644-9672
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan. basim@pieas.edu.pk.
FAU - Hayat, Sikander
AU  - Hayat S
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan.
FAU - Wazir-Ud-Din, M
AU  - Wazir-Ud-Din M
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan.
FAU - Mahmood, M Masood
AU  - Mahmood MM
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan.
FAU - Ur Rehman, Shakeel
AU  - Ur Rehman S
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan.
FAU - Siddique, M Tariq
AU  - Siddique MT
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan.
FAU - Mirza, Sikander M
AU  - Mirza SM
AD  - Department of Physics & Applied Mathematics, Institute of Engineering and Applied 
      Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20210220
PL  - Germany
TA  - Radiat Environ Biophys
JT  - Radiation and environmental biophysics
JID - 0415677
RN  - 451W47IQ8X (Sodium Chloride)
SB  - IM
MH  - Gamma Rays
MH  - Luminescent Measurements
MH  - Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
MH  - Mining
MH  - Pakistan
MH  - *Sodium Chloride
MH  - Temperature
MH  - *Thermoluminescent Dosimetry
MH  - X-Ray Diffraction
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Glow curve
OT  - NaCl
OT  - Natural dosimeter
OT  - Thermoluminescence
EDAT- 2021/02/22 06:00
MHDA- 2021/08/27 06:00
CRDT- 2021/02/21 20:42
PHST- 2020/07/13 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2021/02/01 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2021/02/22 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2021/08/27 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2021/02/21 20:42 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s00411-021-00894-x [pii]
AID - 10.1007/s00411-021-00894-x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Radiat Environ Biophys. 2021 May;60(2):365-375. doi: 10.1007/s00411-021-00894-x. 
      Epub 2021 Feb 20.