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Description
This exploratory study investigates the feasibility of thin polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films as passive radiation detectors using a multi-filter badge configuration under mammography X-ray irradiation. PTFE sheets were mounted inside an optically stimulated luminescence badge behind copper, aluminium and plastic filters and irradiated with a 28 kVp beam at doses between 2 and 10 mGy. Radiation-induced optical absorbance at 1000 nm was used as the readout signal. After background subtraction, all filtered parts showed radiation-induced signals across the investigated dose range. The average induced absorbance increased from approximately 0.023 to 0.043 units between 2 and 10 mGy, corresponding to a relative increase of about 19-35% compared with unirradiated samples. Estimated absorbance sensitivities at the highest dose were on the order of 4×10-3 per mGy and comparable for all filters. Systematic differences between filter responses were observed at all dose levels. Filter signal ratios (Cu/Al, Cu/Plastic and Al/Plastic) deviated substantially from unity at low doses (up to ~80%), demonstrating clear spectral discrimination at lower doses and a measurable energy-dependent response of PTFE. These results show that PTFE films exhibit detectable dose response and multi-filter discrimination under low-energy X-ray irradiation. The observed beam-quality sensitivity supports the potential of PTFE as a candidate material for multi-filter passive dosimeter badges and motivates further optimisation and dedicated energy-response characterisation.