Synthesis and optical properties of novel Gd^(3+)-doped BaZn_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)glass-ceramics for radiation detection applications

45 P_(2)O_(5)-15 BaO-25 ZnO-15 B2O_(3)glasses doped with different concentrations(0 mol%,0.1 mol%,0.25 mol%,0.5 mol%,and 0.75 mol%)of Gd^(3+)were prepared by a melt-quenching method and treated to fabricate glass-ceramics containing BaZn_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)crystals by controllable crystallization.The structural,optical,and dosimetric properties were investigated.FTIR spectra indicate that the glasses are composed of[PO_(4)],[BO_(3)],and[BO_(4)]basic structural units.The XRD pattern analysis indicates that the samples contain BaZn_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)crystals.In the photoluminesce nce(PL)spectra,two emission bands are observed at 307 and 313 nm due to the^(6)P_(5/2)→^(8)S_(7/2)and^(6)P_(7/2)→^(8)S_(7/2)transitions of Gd^(3+),respectively.The OSL dosimetric properties of glass-ceramics were studied further under beta radiation of90Sr.The optimal Gd^(3+)doping concentration of 0.5 mol%was determined.The fading of the OSL signal shows that the CW-OSL signal of Gd^(3+)-doped BaZn_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)glass-ceramics decays by about 58.95%within120 h,and the intensity remains stable thereafter.The thermoluminescence(TL)curve has three peaks at 164,240,and 344℃.Minimum detectable dose(MDD)of the 0.5 mol%Gd^(3+)-doped BaZn_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)glass-ceramics was calculated as 0.675 mGy.The samples also exhibit good signal reusability and a broad linear dose-response range(0.3-500 Gy).Results show the excellent dosimetric properties of Gd^(3+)-doped BaZn_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)glass-ceramics and their potential application in radiation dosimetry.