Radiophotoluminescence phenomenon in copper‐doped aluminoborosilicate glass

Abstract Radiophotoluminescence phenomena have been widely investigated on various types of materials for dosimetry applications. We report that an aluminoborosilicate glass containing 0.005 mol% copper exhibits intense photoluminescence in the visible region induced by X‐ray and γ‐ray irradiation. The luminescence is assigned to the 3d 9 4s 1 → 3d 10 transition of Cu + . The proportionality of the intensity of the induced photoluminescence to the irradiation dose was confirmed up to 0.5 kGy using 60 Co γ‐ray irradiation. Based on the spectroscopic results, a potential mechanism was proposed for the enhancement of the photoluminescence. The exposure to the ionizing radiation generates electron‐hole pairs in the glass, and the electrons are subsequently captured by the Cu 2+ ions, which are converted to Cu + and emit the luminescence. For the glass containing 0.01 mol% copper, the pronounced enhancement of the photoluminescence was not observed because the reverse reaction, ie, the capture of the holes by the Cu + ions, becomes prominent. The photoluminescence induced by the irradiation was stably observed for the glasses kept at room temperature and even for the glasses heat‐treated at 150°C. However, the induced photoluminescence could be eliminated by the heat treatment at a temperature at 500°C, and the glass returned to the initial pre‐irradiation state. The Cu‐doped aluminoborosilicate glass is a potential candidate for use in dosimetry applications.