Properties of a new polymer gel with cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol as a gelatinous matrix were investigated. The new polymer gel dosimeter was named PVABAT. The irradiation was performed using a calibrated 60Co beam. The dose responses of the PVABAT formulations were quantified with MRI transverse relaxation rate (R2) measurements. The results show that the PVABAT gel responds linearly to the absorbed dose for doses from 30 up to 45 Gy. The maximal amount of [Formula: see text] of PVABAT polymer gel dosimeter was about 0.19 Gy which was indicated on a better resolution in comparison with previously reported acrylamide-based polymer gel dosimeters formulations. Furthermore, the gel response remains stable in the investigated time (192 h) after the irradiation. The effective atomic number and electron density of the new gel showed a maximum difference of 3.2 and 2% with soft tissue respectively. The melting point also increased significantly for new formulation. Furthermore, the new gel formulation has an elemental tissue equivalency for dosimetry applications involving nuclear reactions.
Keywords: MRI; PVABAT; Polymer gel dosimeter; Polyvinyl alcohol; Radiation dosimetry.