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Title: WE-AB-BRB-05: Toward a 2D Water-Equivalent Dosimetry Panel Using KCl:Eu2+

Journal Article · · Medical Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4925846· OSTI ID:22570082
; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO (United States)
  2. Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, St. Louis, MO (United States)
  3. University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE (United States)

Purpose: KCl:Eu2+ storage phosphor shows promise for radiation therapy dosimetry. The purpose of this work is to investigate several important aspects of this material for potential commercial use. Methods: KCl:Eu2+ chips were fabricated and a conformal coating using Parylene was applied. Material’s dose response in a 6 MV beam was investigated using Monte-Carlo simulations. We attempted to micronize the materials using a spiral jet mill. As we did not have a water-free glovebox, we used commercially available non-hygroscopic BaFBr0.85I0.15:Eu2+ computed radiography material to test if a homogeneous panel can be made using micron-sized phosphors. Results: Dosimeters remained intact and showed no change in PSL intensity after eight hrs of submersion in water. We then optically bleached the samples for reuse, irradiated and immersed for another 24 hrs. We observed marginal worsening of the PSL signal for both the soaked and un-soaked chips. By contrast, we were unable to measure PSL intensity of the un-coated pellets due to these pellets dissolving within minutes of being immersed in water. MC data indicate that the micron-sized KCl:Eu2+ is predicted to have a nearly water-equivalent response. KCl:Eu2+ particles with a median size of 3 microns can be produced using a jet mill, which could be reduced further if necessary. While the particles tend to agglomerate over time when stored in a desiccator, they still possess favorable d50’s and d99’s even after 100 minutes, providing an adequate time window for making a panel via tape casting. A panel cast using optimized methods exhibits nearly perfect particle arrangement. Conclusions: Data shown here support ongoing efforts in fabricating a reusable, high resolution dosimetry panel in a water-free glovebox using micron-sized KCl:Eu2+ particles separated by water-equivalent polymers. The conformal coating thereafter will provide good humidity resistance. HL is the founder of DoseImaging, LLC that is exclusively dedicated to commercializing this technology.

OSTI ID:
22570082
Journal Information:
Medical Physics, Vol. 42, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2015 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English