A basic dosimetric study of PRESAGE: the effect of different amounts of fabricating components on the sensitivity and stability of the dosimeter

Over the past few years there has been much interest in the development of three-dimensional dosimeters to determine the complex absorbed dose distribution in modern radiotherapy techniques such as IMRT and IGRT. In routine methods used for three-dimensional dosimetry, polymer gels are commonly used. Recently, a novel transparent polymer dosimeter, known as PRESAGE, has been introduced in which a radiochromic color change is observed upon radiation. PRESAGE has some advantages over usual polymer gel dosimeters. It has been noted that the sensitivity of PRESAGE can be changed when different amounts of the components are used for its fabrication. This study has focused on the assessment of dosimetric characteristics of PRESAGE for various amounts of components in its formulation. To achieve this, PRESAGE dosimeters were fabricated using various amounts of their constituting components. Then the dosimeters were irradiated to (60)Co gamma photons for a range of radiation doses from 0 to 50 Gy. Consequently, the light absorption changes of the dosimeters were measured by a spectrophotometer at different post-irradiation time periods. It was generally observed that as the concentration of the radical initiator is increased, the PRESAGE dosimeter sensitivity is increased while its stability is decreased. Furthermore, it was noted that with the high concentration of the radical initiator and leuco dye, the sensitivity of PRESAGE is decreased.