Thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance studies of x-irradiated L-alanine:Cr3+ single crystals

Single crystals of x-irradiated L-alanine:Cr3+ have been studied between 90 and 300 K by electron spin resonance (ESR) and thermoluminescence (TL) techniques. Ultraviolet (uv) photobleaching of the Cr3+ electron traps and L-alanine radical centers was also investigated. The results demonstrate that the x-ray generated radical centers can be destroyed by uv-induced electron transport activity, and this destruction follows first order kinetics. Also, the transformation of the primary neutral radical species to a secondary radical in L-alanine was found not to be induced by intermolecular electron transport. The TL glow was determined to proceed by first-order kinetics at a temperature of 160 K with an activation energy of 0.3 eV and a frequency factor of 1.0×108 s−1. It is suggested that the TL glow may arise from both the decay of the primary cation radical species in L-alanine and the bleaching of the Cr3+ electron traps, and that the Cr3+ impurity acts to enhance the free radical thermoluminescence.