Systematic development of new thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence materials

This paper presents an overview of a systematic study to develop new thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) materials using solution combustion synthesis (SCS) for applications such as personal OSL dosimetry, 2D dose mapping, and temperature sensing. A discussion on the material requirements for these applications is included. We present X-ray diffraction (XRD) data on single phase materials obtained with SCS, as well as radioluminescence (RL), TL and OSL data of lanthanide-doped materials. The results demonstrate the possibility of producing TL and OSL materials with sensitivity similar to or approaching those of commercial TL and OSL materials used in dosimetry (e.g., LiF:Mg,Ti and Al ₂O ₃:C) using SCS. The results also show that the luminescence properties can be improved by Li co-doping and annealing. The presence of an atypical TL background and anomalous fading are discussed and deserve attention in future investigations. We hope that these preliminary results on the use of SCS for production of TL and OSL materials are helpful to guide future efforts towards the development of new luminescence materials for different applications.