International Journal of Chemistry and Material Science Vol. 2(2), pp. 028-045, June, 2014 ISSN 2327-5553 ©2014 Academe Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Dosimetric characterization and spectroscopic study of radiochromic films as natural dye dosimeters

Muhammad Attique Khan Shahid¹*, Bushra Bashir¹, Hina Bashir², Huma Bashir¹ and Arfa Mubashir¹

¹Department of Physics, G.C. University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.

²Department of Zoology, Wild Life and Fisheries, G.C. University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: profkhan786@yahoo.com.

NOMENCLATURE

XRD: X-ray diffraction; PVA: Polyvinyl Alcohol; T-PVA: Turmeric Polyvinyl Alcohol; W-PVA: Walnut Polyvinyl Alcohol; H-PVA: Henna Polyvinyl Alcohol; Fsd: Faisalabad; EC: Electrical Conductivity.

Accepted 28 April, 2014

Abstract

Radiochromic films were prepared with PVA gel matrix and natural dyes (Turmeric, Walnut and Henna) with three concentrations, that is, C₁=0.5 g/L, C₂=0.25 g/L and C₃=0.13 g/L having pH value 4 for acidic samples and 10 for alkaline samples. The thickness of the film was fixed to be 0.05 mm. The behavior of the dyes was studied on the basis of change in specific absorbance with concentration, change in specific absorbance with absorbed dose; effect of pH on specific absorbance, electrical conductivity, molar extinction coefficients, and percentage decoloration. Absorption spectra for un-irradiated and Gamma irradiated films were studied. ʎ_max for T= 451 nm, for W=340 nm and for H=320 nm was recorded. Absorbance at each ʎ_max was found by using spectrophotometer and specific absorbance was calculated. Response curve for specific absorbance versus concentration showed linear behavior for each dye. Plot of specific absorbance versus dose made the behavior of the dye clear and it was noticed that acidic samples of all the dye samples worked best. Maximum degree of decoloration in the Turmeric, Walnut and Henna dye films was observed to be 94%, 51.5% and 93.7% respectively. XRD analysis was performed and it was found that for Turmeric, %age crystallanity as well as C.I decreased while for Walnut and Henna both factors increased. Moreover, mechanical properties of dye films were studied which showed that due to irradiation some changes had occurred in the crystal structure which is the major reason of decoloration of the dye films.

Key words: Irradiation, PVA Turmeric films, alkaline, acidic, optical and structural changes, mechanical properties, XRD study, dye dosimetry.