Thermoluminescence radiation dosimetry in Sonoran zeolite exposed to beta particle irradiation

In this work, we report the thermoluminescence (TL) response of a zeolite (Chabazite-Ca) from Divisaderos Sonora region northwestern Mexico and its performance in dosimetry applications. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy were performed to obtain the structural, morphological, and elemental composition of the prepared zeolite samples. Zeolite samples were exposed to beta particle irradiation in the dose range from 5 to 7017 Gy. The TL glow curves of zeolite display a broad curve shape indicating the overlap of several TL glow peaks. The TL glow curve shows a maximum emission located at ∼174 °C and a prominent shoulder at 280 °C. The TL signal increases as the dose increase, keeping a linear dependence from 5 to up 690 Gy. A remarkable reproducibility of integrated TL response in 10 irradiation- TL readout cycles was observed, indicating zeolite samples are reusable. The fading signal is around ∼50 % in 3 days. The reported results suggest that Sonoran zeolites have potential applications as detectors and dosimeters for ionizing radiation. •TL response of a natural zeolite from Divisaderos, Sonora region in north-western Mexico.•Natural Zeolites thermally treated are very promising new solid state TL dosimeters.•The ZEOTT sample was exposed to beta particle radiation displayed linear behavior in the region of 5 up 690 Gy.