Electron irradiation resistance of the composite material structure based on ultra-high molecular polyethylene and boron carbide

Abstract

Effect of electron irradiation on the structural state of a composite material based on ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and boron carbide particles (B4C) which is a precursor for functional radiation protection materials has been investigated. Composite powder materials were synthesized from industrially available components by the method of mechanochemical activation under conditions of intense shock-shear deformations. Specimens in the form of 2 mm thick composite powder’s pressed plates were irradiated with 2 MeV electrons in air. Studies of changes in the structural and morphological characteristics of the composite samples were carried out by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Effects of electron irradiation on the structure of the composite as a whole and its components were analysed. The analysis of the obtained data showed the resistance of the composite material with respect to the electron irradiation fluence up to 8·1014 cm–2.

Polymeric composite materials for radiation shielding: a review

“…The incorporation of nanofillers mainly carbon-based and metal/metal oxide nanoparticles into polymeric membrane matrixes improved the filtration capability of nanocomposite membranes to separate pollutants from water which has been a global challenge due to the great demand for clean water supply (Wen et al 2019 ). The degradation of fragmented microplastic residues containing low-density polyethylene (LDPE) via visible-light-induced heterogeneous photocatalysis enhanced by zinc oxide nanorods showed an increase in brittleness, cracks on the surface, and in carbonyl index of residues with a value of 30% (Tofa et al 2019 ). High-density polyethylene (HDPE) composite loaded with tungsten (W), molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), and boron carbide (B 4 C) demonstrated that the flexible composite sheet of high-density polyethylene/45% (wt) tungsten provided comparable X‐ray absorption to the non‐flexible lead sheet but much lighter in weight (Afshar et al 2019 ).…”

“…Usually, materials having dense structures are better in radiation resistance due to a high degree of symmetry. The interaction between organic material and radiation is governed by many mechanisms such as oxidation, gas production, and depolymerization (Tsepelev et al 2019;Wady et al 2019). In polymers, radiation resistance depends on oxygen rate and volume present in the material.…”

Enhancement of mechanical properties of ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene nanocomposites without losing thermal stability

“…The diffractograms in Figure 5a, obtained from the bulk specimens, reveal main peaks in 2θ at 19.5 , 21.5 , and 23.9 , related to the (110) and (200) crystallographic planes of the UHMWPE matrix. 42 The characteristics of the identified crystal structures of the UHMWPE matrix are presented in Table 2.…”

“…Characteristic diffraction peaks of UHMWPE and corresponding crystalline structures42 Transmitted light optical microscopy images of the specimens (a) U and (b) UEA. Reflected light optical microscopy images of the specimen UEA in (c) dark field, and (d) bright-field modes [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] F I G U R E 7 Scheme of the formation of the nanocomposites' structure according to the production steps [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] F I G U R E 8 (a) Dark-field reflected light optical microscopy image of the region of the specimen UEA went to Raman spectroscopy analysis; (b) detail in higher magnification of the analyzed region; Raman spectra of (c) pure UHMWPE powder, and (d) alpha aluminum oxide nanoparticles.…”

Dielectric Performance of UHMWPE-MgFe2O4 Composites Depending on Polymer Crystallinity, and the Concentration and Size of Mechanochemically Synthesized Ferrite Particles

“…Enhancing the UHMWPE properties can be achieved by different methods through irradiation, surface modification, introducing effective textures, varying cross-linking, crystallinity percentage, reinforcements with particles or fibers [6]. Among the available publications, there are innovative developments related to the possibility of using composite materials based on UHMWPE to protect equipment from climate and environmental factors (exposure to aggressive media) [7][8][9][10][11], as well as their use as materials for microwave Powders 2023, 2 579 applications [12] or substrates for dielectric resonators [13]. It is believed that for these purposes the polymer of choice should have a high permittivity, low dielectric losses, as well as high mechanical characteristics.…”