Evaluation of the structural characteristics and the fading effects of image plates

The photostimulated luminescence (PSL) is the basis for the digital image formation of image plates (IPs). However, the PSL decreases exponentially with the increasing of the elapsed time between the exposure and the IP scanning (t), and consequently, there is a fading of the digital image. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between IPs physical structure and elemental composition with the fading behavior. Three different types of IPs, with distinct resolutions, were analyzed. The fading behavior with the time, t, has been measured and correlated with their physical structure. Furthermore, micro X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) analysis was used to provide information on the elemental composition of this layer. The results showed that standard resolution plate have larger grains, thicker sensitive layer, and generate a bigger effect of image fading. The μXRF technique showed that, to compensate the low emission, the high-resolution IP has a higher concentration of Br and Sr.