Investigation of kinetic parameters for K2GdF5:Tb material by thermoluminescence analysis

This study systematically investigates the thermoluminescent properties of K2GdF5:Tb phosphor, with an emphasis on determining and comparing kinetic parameters relevant to radiation dosimetry. Thermoluminescence glow curves obtained after X-ray irradiation at effective photon energies of 33.3 keV, 65.2 keV, and 100 keV and after mixed neutron-gamma irradiation from a ?4?Am-Be source were analyzed using the initial rise, peak shape, and area peak methods in combination with several kinetic models, including first-order, second-order, general-order, mixed-order, and one-trap-one-recombination-center models. Reference glow curves were employed to verify the stability and reliability of the applied analysis procedures. Experimental results showed that X-ray irradiated K2GdF5:Tb exhibits a single dominant glow peak at approximately 482-484 K, with activation energies in the range of 0.60-0.77 eV. In contrast, mixed neutron-gamma irradiation leads to two partially overlapping glow peaks, characterized by lower activation energies in the range of 0.10-0.38 eV, indicating the presence of shallow and intermediate trapping components. The extracted kinetic parameters exhibited good consistency within experimental uncertainties and were associated with low figure-of-merit values, thereby confirming the reliability of the applied analysis methods. These results provide provide a deeper understanding of the distinct trapping mechanisms induced by photon and neutron interactions and demonstrate the potential of K2GdF5:Tb for radiation dosimetry applications under X-ray and mixed neutron-gamma fields.