Thermoluminescence and optical characteristics of ZrO₂ powder as a TL dosimeter

A description of the preparation of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) polycrystalline powder by the sol-gel method is presented. To prepare ZrO ₂ powder to be used as a thermoluminescent (TL) phosphor in dosimetric application, it is necessary to analyze some structural properties before, such as it's crystallinity. In this work, the property was verified using X-ray diffraction. ZrO₂ polycrystalline powder obtained was subjected to thermal treatment by heating up to 1000°C. Both the absorption spectrum and the emission spectrum were also studied. The TL glow curve of ZrO₂ powder exhibited a peak when it was exposed to a radiation field. Results of analyzing optical properties and the preliminary results of studying the TL in ZrO₂, indicate that the latter is a good candidate to be used as a TL dosimeter in radiation ionizing and UV-radiation fields.