The potential of ten different crosslinkers was investigated, with the aim of improving the performance of polymer gel dosimeters used for detecting radiation dose distributions generated by cancer radiation therapy equipment. Unfortunately, none of the candidate crosslinkers was shown to be more effective than N,N 0 -methylene-bisacrylamide, the standard crosslinker used in polymer gel dosimetry applications. Two co-solvents, glycerol and isopropanol, were used to increase the solubility of N,N 0 -methylene-bisacrylamide crosslinker in polymer gel dosimeter recipes. Using isopropanol, the crosslinker solubility increased from approximately from 3 to 10% by weight, enabling the manufacture of polymer gel dosimeters with much higher levels of crosslinking than was previously possible. The new dosimeter recipes can be imaged effectively using nuclear magnetic resonance and optical techniques, and may be suitable for read-out using x-ray CT (Computed Tomography).

The methanolysis of three neutral organophosphorus esters (a phosphonate, a phosphonothioate, and a phosphorothionate) promoted by several polymer-supported Zn(II) or Cu(II) containing catalysts was studied. The catalysts consist of a Zn(II) or Cu(II) complex with 1,5,9-triazacyclododecane or phenanthroline attached to a porous polystyrene resin. In each case, the polymer supported catalyst showed activity at near neutral sspH in methanol (8.38) and ambient temperature and provided accelerations of up to a factor of 2.9 × 106 relative to the background reaction at sspH 9.05. The solid materials could be reused several times and could be reactivated when the activity diminished. Various polymers of different porosity and extent of cross-linking were studied, with the net result being that larger porosities offer the best reactivity for catalyzed methanolysis of these OP species in methanol. This is explained by different parameters including the accessibility to reactive sites, the increase of concentration of catalytic sites on the surface of the polymer, and some cooperative effects between neighboring catalytic groups.Key words: functionalized polymer, metal containing, methanolysis, organophosphorus pesticides and CW agents, catalyst.