Ultrasound evaluation of polymathic methacrylate (PMMA) gel dosimeter doped with copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles

A new gel dosimeter was synthesized using methyl methacrylate, gelatin, deionized water, N, N′-methylene bis(acrylamide), copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs), and tetrakis (hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (THPC). The PMMA polymer gel doped with CuO NPs was manufactured under normal atmospheric conditions. In detail, an enhanced dose response of the prepared PMMA was noticed as a function of the applied radiation exposure from 2 to 10 Gy with R 2 = 0.974 and sensitivity of 0.025. In conjunction, further enhanced dose response was noticed upon the addition of CuO nanoparticles wherein dose response increments from 0.042 to 0.08 at 2 Gy and 0.25 to 0.325 at 10 Gy for PMMA samples doped with 0.5% and 1% of CuO nanoparticles, respectively. In meanwhile, the speed of sound and attenuation coefficient analysis demonstrated linear correlation ( R 2 ≥ 0.97 ) between the applied radiation along with the attained dose response values. This linear relationship is attributed to the homogeneous distribution of CuO NPs and the consistent properties of the gel material, confirming the potential of CuO-doped PMMA gels for effective radiation dose measurement. These results underscore the adaptability of polymer gel dosimeters as a standard dosimetric material suitable for diverse applications.