Study of Ag Nanoparticles in a Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Dosimeters by Optical Technique.

The dosimetric characteristics of hydrogel dosimeters based on polyacrylamide (PAC) as a capping agent incorporating silver nitrate as a radiation-sensitive material are investigated using UV-Vis spectrophotometry within the dose range 0-100 Gy. Glycerol was used in the hydrogel matrix to promote the dosimetric response and increase the radiation sensitivity. Upon exposing the PAC hydrogel to γ-ray, it exhibits a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) band at 453 nm, and its intensity increases linearly with absorbed doses up to 100 Gy. The results are compared with the silver nitrate gel dosimeter. Glycerol of 15% in the hydrogel matrix enhances the radiation sensitivity by about 30%. PAC hydrogel dosimeter can be considered a near water equivalent material in the 400 keV-20 MeV photon energy range. At doses less than 15 Gy, the PAC hydrogel dosimeter retains higher radiation sensitivity than the gel dosimeter. The total uncertainty (2σ) of the dose estimated using this hydrogel is about 4%. These results may support the validity of using this hydrogel as a dosimeter to verify radiotherapy techniques and dose monitoring during blood irradiation.

DFT calculations and electronic absorption spectra of some, α- and γ-pyrone derivatives.

The electronic absorption spectra of 6-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 1, 6-ethyl-4-hydroxy-3-nitro-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 2, 6-ethyl-4-chloro-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 3, 6-ethyl-3-nitro-4-chloro-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 4, 6-ethyl-4,5-dioxopyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 5, and 6-ethyl-3-nitro-6H-pyrano [3,2-c]quinoline-4,5-dione 6, were measured in polar (methanol) as well as nonpolar (dioxane) solvents. The geometries were optimized using B3LYB/6-311G (p,d) method. The most stable geometry of the studied compounds, 1-6, is the planar structure as indicates by the values of the dihedral angles. The insertion of a nitro group in position 3 in both α- and γ-pyrone ring decreases the energy gap and hence increases the reactivity of 3 and 6 compounds. Assignment of the observed bands as localized, delocalized and/or of charge transfer (CT) has been facilitated by TD-DFT calculations. The correspondences between the calculated and experimental transition energies are satisfactory. The solvent and substituent effects have been investigated. Chloro-substituent has a higher band position and intensity effects on the spectra more than hydroxyl or nitro groups.