SINGLE EMULSION RADIOGRAPHIC FILM

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. Also antistatic. Extremely
strong and when combined with the base material, is nearly impossible to tear a radiograph.
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EMULSION
The active layer of film. The most important part. Composed of gelatin in which photosenstive silver halide
crystals are suspended. Spread extremely evenly and ranges from 5-10 micrometers thick on one or both sides
of the base. Acts 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. One cubic mm contains over half a billion
crystals
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ADHESIVE LAYER
a thin coating of adhesive is applied to the base material before it is coated with the emulsion. Designed to glue
the emulsion to the base and to prevent bubbles or other distortion when film is bent during processing or
handling or when wet and heated during development.
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FILM BASE
Originally, the film base was a glass plate. Still use this jargon today (flat plate). Today, the base is polyester
plastic. Solved problems such as cut fingers from broken films and strained backs from carrying and filing
stacks of heavy radiographs.
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ANTIHALATION BACKING
a coating on the back of the film base, but sometimes it is incorporated between the light-sensitive emulsion
and the base. The light that passes through the emulsion is absorbed by the anti-halation layer. This prevents
any light from being reflected back through the emulsion from the rear surface of the base, or from anything
behind the film, such as the pressure plate of the camera, and causing a halo-like effect around bright points or
edges in the image.