近年来宝石辐照处理技术的研究进展

Research process of gemstone irradiation treatment technology in recent years

宝石的辐照处理改色技术是指借助^(60)Co辐照源装置、辐照(电子、粒子)加速器以及核反应堆等大型仪器,使高能重入射粒子和轻入射粒子进入宝石的晶格中,通过位移碰撞(弹性碰撞、非弹性碰撞)、电离激发的方式产生晶格缺陷,形成离子缺陷心和电荷缺陷心,最终改变宝石的颜色或色调的一种物理方法。经过辐照处理的宝石,颜色会发生一定的改变,需要通过低温热处理工艺来去除不稳定色心,稳固需保留的辐照色心或改变辐照后的色心类型,从而达到更好的改色效果。市场上常见的辐照处理宝石主要集中于彩色钻石、蓝宝石、绿柱石、托帕石、水晶和珍珠等,还有一些比较少见的辐照粉红色碧玺、辐照蓝色方柱石、辐照蓝紫色锂辉石和辐照绿色水铝榴石等中档宝石。

Gemstone irradiation treatment is a technology that uses large-scale instruments such as ^(60)Co irradiation source device,irradiation accelerator(electrons,particles)and nuclear reactor to introduce heavy and light high-energy incident particles into gems lattices.This produces lattice defects by means of displacement collisions(elastic collisions and inelastic collisions)and ionization excitation,which will generate ion and charge defect centers and ultimately change the colors or tones of gemstones.The color of irradiated gemstones can be changed to some extent via a variety of composite color centers,which needs annealed treatment to remove unstable color defect centers,retain the required irradiated color,and change the type of irradiated color centers.So far,the common irradiated gemstones on the market are mainly concentrated in precious gemstones such as colored diamonds,sapphires,beryls,topazes,crystals,pearls,etc.Moreover,there are some rare irradiated pink tourmalines,irradiated blue scapolites,irradiated blue-purple spodumenes,irradiated green hydro-grossulars and other new gemstones that have also begun to appear frequently in markets around the world in recent years.