Lead borate glasses of the composition 33PbO.67B2O3 were prepared by the conventional melting/quenching method. Glass-ceramics were prepared from powdered glasses by heat treatment at 590 deg C for 60, 120, 180 and 240 minutes. The crystallisation process was followed by scanning electron microscopy. The thermoluminescence of the glasses and glass-ceramics was measured and the response was correlated with the structural changes that occur during crystallisation. A great improvement in the thermoluminescence response was obtained after 60 minutes of isothermal crystallisation, which corresponds to a degree of crystallisation of more than 50%. As the crystallisation proceeds the glass structure changes and a localised state which improves the response of the materials is generated. These results indicate that the studied lead borate glass-ceramics are promising materials for thermoluminescence dosimetric applications.
