Towards a chemical dosimetry system for boron neutron capture therapy

The aim of the present work was to investigate the characteristics of modified CET chemical dosimetry systems exposed to thermal neutrons (Φ = 108 nth cm2s−1). The basic components of CET are chlorobenzene (10 vol.%), ethanol (10 vol.%) and trimethylpentane. The modified forms of CET, 10BCET, contained in addition boric acid, enriched in 10B, in concentrations of 415, 868 and 2050 ppm 10B. The sensitivity of the 10BCET systems to the absorbed dose caused by the ions from the 10B(n, α) 7Li reaction is 28% of the sensitivity for 60Co gamma rays. The response is linear for a dose range from 0.3 to 40 Gy and for the 10B concentrations used. These characteristics of 10BCET make it a good candidate for dose measurements in boron neutron capture therapy.