Lindsey Shriner

Lindsey Shriner

Radiographic film is constructed from different materials including the base, adhesive,
emulsion with crystals and supercoat. Each layer has a different purpose.
1. Base- originally composed of a glass plate and where the term flat plate came from. it
was then switched to cellulose nitrate but because it was so flammable it was quickly
changed to cellulose triacetate. The radiographic film base is polyester now and it must be
flexible yet tough, stable, rigid, and uniformly lucent. The film base usually includes a blue
dye to tint the film and reduce eyestrain. It is also usually coated with a special substance
to prevent light from one screen crossing over to the other, which causes blurring of the
image, this is known as the crossover effect.
2. Adhesive- thin coating of adhesive is applied to the base material before it is coated with
the emulsion. This is designed to glue the emulsion to the base and prevent bubbles or
other distortion when the film is bent during processing.
3. Emulsion- a gelatin in which photosensitive silver halide crystals are suspended. Its
purpose is to act as a neutral lucent suspension medium for the silver halide crystals that
must be separated from one another to permit processing chemicals to reach them.
Sensitivity speck- it is an impurity that is added to the silver halide crystals that acts as
an electrode that attracts free silver ions during latent image formation.
4. Supercoat- layer of hard, protective gelatin designed to prevent the soft emulsion
underneath from being physically or chemical abused by scratches, abrasions and skin
oils.
Lindsey Shriner