Color changes in X-ray irradiated PM-355 and Makrofol DE 7-2 nuclear track detectors

¹ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, Al-Madina al Munawarah, Saudi Arabia
² Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
³ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Cairo, Egypt
⁴ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
⁵ Physics Department, College of Science (Girls Branch), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
⁶ Physics Department, College of Sciences and Arts, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
⁷ Laboratoire de Spectrométrie, des Matériaux et Archéomatériaux (LASMAR), URAC 11, Université Moulay Ismail, Faculté des Sciences, B.P 11201 Zitoune, Meknès, Morocco

^a e-mail: samin273@gmail.com

Received: 12 September 2013
Revised: 12 December 2013
Accepted: 16 January 2014
Published online: 3 March 2014

Abstract

Effects of X-ray irradiation on the color changes of PM-355 and Makrofol DE 7-2 nuclear track detectors have been investigated. Samples from PM-355 and Makrofol DE 7-2 polycarbonates were irradiated with X-ray doses at levels between 10 and 250 kGy. The transmission of these samples in the wavelength range 370–780 nm, as well as any color changes, was studied. The Commission International de E’Claire (CIE units x, y and z) methodology was used in this work for the description of colored samples. The color differences between the non-irradiated sample and those irradiated with different X-ray doses were calculated. The results indicate that both PM-355 and Makrofol DE 7-2 detectors acquire color changes under X-ray irradiation, but the PM-355 detector has more response to color change than that of Makrofol DE 7-2.