Study of the Optimal Composition and Storage Conditions of the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 Radiochromic Dosimeter

Michał Piotrowski; Piotr Maras; Sławomir Kadłubowski; Marek Kozicki

doi:10.3390/ma15030984

Study of the Optimal Composition and Storage Conditions of the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 Radiochromic Dosimeter

Materials (Basel). 2022 Jan 27;15(3):984. doi: 10.3390/ma15030984.

Authors

Michał Piotrowski¹, Piotr Maras², Sławomir Kadłubowski³, Marek Kozicki¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Informatics and Chemistry of Polymer Materials, Faculty of Materials Technologies and Textile Design, Lodz University of Technology, 90-543 Lodz, Poland.
² Department of Radiotherapy Planning, Copernicus Hospital, 93-513 Lodz, Poland.
³ Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, 93-590 Lodz, Poland.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research on the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 dosimeter. It consists of a Fricke dosimetric solution and xylenol orange (XO), which are embedded in a matrix of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (Pluronic F-127). Upon irradiation, Fe⁺² ions transform into Fe⁺³, forming a colored complex with XO ([XO-Fe]⁺³). The color intensity is related to the dose absorbed. The optimal composition, storage conditions, and radiation-induced performance of the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 dosimeter were investigated. The optimal composition was found to be 1 mM FAS, 50 mM sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), 0.165 mM XO in 25% Pluronic F-127. The basic features of this dosimeter are discussed, such as dose sensitivity, linear and dynamic dose range, stability before and after irradiation, storage conditions, dose response for irradiation with 6 and 15 MV photons, and batch-to-batch reproducibility. The obtained results showed a certain potential of the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 for radiotherapy dosimetry.

Keywords: 3D radiochromic dosimeter; Fricke–XO–Pluronic F–127; ionizing radiation; radiotherapy dosimeter.