Development of Practical Ionising Radiation Detectors and Dosimeters based on Quantum Dots

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Quantum dots could provide the basis for a method of radiation dosimetry which could be of use in a range of medical and industrial applications. Recent developments in materials science make the reliable manufacture of nanocrystals possible and allow for the variation in the size and composition of manufactured quantum dots. The purpose of this work is to optimise the design of a self-calibrating radiation dosimeter for proposed use in the security and healthcare sectors, with applications which include the determination of received radiation dose by patients and the verification of sterilisation of items such as mail and medical equipment. This will be achieved by investigating the effects of ionising radiation on quantum dots and determining the optimum concentration and size for the detection of electron and gamma irradiation. If successful, this would open the way for the production of a wide range of self-calibrating dosimeters that can be produced in different matrices, which could be read-out optically in real-time and which are amenable to printing onto packaging and other complex surfaces.