Tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃) is a well-known organometallic compound due to its numerous applications in electronic devices including organic light-emitting diodes, photodiodes, and optoelectronics. It has unique optical properties; however, the effect of ionizing radiation on its properties has not been investigated to date. In this study, Alq₃ microrods were pressed into small pellets, annealed at 150 °C for 1 h and then exposed to X-ray radiation at different doses in the range of 5–20 Gy. Subsequently, their structural and optical properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy. XRD results showed a slight shift in the positions of the Alq₃ peaks, with no significant change in the crystallinity or phase of Alq₃, whereas the intensity of the Raman and FTIR peaks of these pellets systematically decreased upon irradiation. The intensity of the PL band of Alq₃ at 510 nm initially increased to about three times higher than the unirradiated PL signal under 10 Gy irradiation and then started to decrease. The observed decreases in the intensities of the Raman and FTIR peaks are attributed to the slow/gentle degradation of Alq₃, particularly to the breakage of its C–H, C–O, and Al–O bonds. In addition, the linear dose response of Raman and FTIR signals present a nearly excellent dose dependence with a minimal percentage error of 1% and 4%, respectively. These results might serve as a basis for the further investigation of Alq₃ microrods as a radiation dosimeter. In particular, the observed systematic modifications in the optical properties of Alq₃ and the resulting excellent linear response curves of irradiation doses verses signal intensities are quite encouraging.

三-（8-羟基喹啉）铝（Alq ₃）是一种众所周知的有机金属化合物，因为它在包括有机发光二极管、光电二极管和光电子学在内的电子器件中有着广泛的应用。它具有独特的光学特性；然而，迄今为止尚未研究电离辐射对其特性的影响。在这项研究中，Alq _{3 微}棒被压成小球，在 150°C 下退火 1 小时，然后暴露于 5-20 Gy 范围内不同剂量的 X 射线辐射。随后，通过 X 射线衍射 (XRD)、拉曼光谱、傅里叶变换红外 (FTIR) 光谱和光致发光 (PL) 发射光谱分析了它们的结构和光学性质。XRD 结果显示 Alq 的位置略有变化_{3 个}峰，Alq ₃的结晶度或相没有显着变化，而这些颗粒的拉曼和 FTIR 峰的强度在辐照后系统地降低。在 10 Gy 照射下，Alq ₃在 510 nm 处的 PL 带强度最初增加到比未照射的 PL 信号高约三倍，然后开始下降。观察到的拉曼和 FTIR 峰强度的降低归因于 Alq ₃的缓慢/温和降解，尤其是其 C-H、C-O 和 Al-O 键的断裂。此外，拉曼和 FTIR 信号的线性剂量响应呈现出几乎出色的剂量依赖性，分别具有 1% 和 4% 的最小百分比误差。这些结果可作为进一步研究 Alq _{3 微}棒作为辐射剂量计的基础。特别是，观察到的 Alq ₃光学特性的系统性改变以及由此产生的极好的辐射剂量与信号强度线性响应曲线非常令人鼓舞。