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Layers in the process of creating a finished radiograph

Base: Polyester that must be flexible, yet tough, stable, rigid, and
uniformly lucent, includes a blue dye to tint the film and reduce eyestrain.
Coated with a special substance to prevent light from one screen crossing
over to another (crossover effect).
Halation: caused by light being reflected from the air interface on the
back of the base material.
Antihalation coating: absorbs the light coming from the emulsion
and prevent backscatter, visible light, or reflected light from degrading the
image.

Adhesive: Applied to the base material before it is coated with the

emulsion, designed to glue the emulsion to the base and prevent bubbles or
other distortion when film is bent

Emulsion with crystals: Composed of gelatin in which photosensitive

silver halide crystals are suspended. Acts as neutral lucent suspension
medium for silver halide crystals that must be separated from one another to
permit processing chemicals to reach them.
-Sensitivity speck; silver halide crystals must have an impurity, must
be present to to provide film sensitivity. During latent image formation the
sensitivity specks serve as electrodes to attract free silver ions

Supercoat: Layer of hard, protective gelatin designed to prevent the

soft emulsion underneath from being physically or chemically abused by
scratches, abrasions from stacking, and skin oils from handling. Extremely
strong and makes it impossible to tear a radiograph.

Single emulsion radiographic film

Super coat
Emulsion
Adhesive layer
Film base
Antihalation coating

Double emulsion radiographic film

Super Coat
Emulsion
Adhesive layer
Film Base

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Notebook3 SammyPuccini

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Adhesive layer
Emulsion
Supercoat

Intensifying screen

1. Base: Must be flexible yet tough, rigid, chemically inert

and uniformly radiolucent. Must be uniformly radiolucent
to permit transmission of x-ray photons without adding
artifacts to diagnostic image
2. Reflective Layer: magnesium oxide or titanium oxide is
used to reflect light toward the film. Phosphor crystals
emit light in all directions. When reflective layer is added,
nearly twice as much light is reflected toward the film.
3. Phosphor layer: Active layer, phosphors can absorb the
energy of an incident x-ray photon and then emitting light
photons
4. Protective coating: Protective plastic on top of phosphor
layer; protects it from abrasions and stains during loading
and unloading of film.