Improvement in sensitivity of radiochromic 3D dosimeter based on rigid polyurethane resin by incorporating tartrazine

Abstract

We investigated the influence of incorporating tartrazine on the dose response characteristics of radiochromic 3D dosimeters based on polyurethane resin. We use three types of polyurethane resins with different Shore hardness values: 30 A, 50 A, and 80 D. PRESAGE dosimeters are fabricated with different chemical components and concentrations. Tartrazine (Yellow No. 5) helps incorporate a yellow dye to fabricate the dosimeter. Elemental composition is analyzed with the Zeff. Three sets of six different PRESAGE dosimeters were fabricated to investigate the effects of incorporating yellow dye on the dose response characteristics of the dosimeter. The dose response curve was obtained by measuring the optical absorbance using a spectrometer and optical density using optical CT, respectively. The energy and dose rate dependences are evaluated for the dosimeter with the highest sensitivity. For the optical density measurement, significant sensitivity enhancements of 36.6% and 32.7% were achieved in polyurethane having a high Shore hardness of 80 D and 50 A by incorporating tartrazine, respectively. The same results were obtained in the optical absorbance measurements. The ratio of the Zeff of the dosimeter with 80 D Shore hardness to water was 1.49. The polyurethane radiochromic dosimeter with a Shore hardness of 80 D showed the highest sensitivity and energy and dose rate independence upon the incorporation of tartrazine.