Tungsten-Based Hybrid Composite Shield for Medical Radioisotope Defense

Abstract

The shielding performance of shielding clothing is typically improved by increasing the shielding material content, but this lowers the tensile strength of the material. The weight and wearability of the shielding suit are also adversely affected. Important considerations when developing shielding fabric are thickness and flexibility to allow the wearer sufficient mobility. Insufficient thickness lowers the shielding performance, whereas excessive thickness decreases the flexibility of the garment. This study aimed to develop a composite shield that reproduces the shielding performance and meets the flexibility of the process technology. The new shield was manufactured by combining two layers: the shielding fabric fabricated from tungsten wire and a shielding sheet produced by mixing a polymer (PDMS) with tungsten powder. These two shields were bonded to develop a double hybrid composite. Compared with the existing shielding sheet (produced from lead equivalent of 0.55 mmPb), the shielding performance of the hybrid composite shield improved by approximately 17% on average and the tensile strength was 53% higher. The hybrid composite shield has a thickness of 1.35 ± 0.02 mm and delivers the same shielding performance as the lead equivalent. The new hybrid composite shield offers higher wearer mobility while shielding against radiation exposure in medical institutions.

The Shielding and Mechanical Properties of Tungsten/Epoxy Composites

“…Non-traditional γ-ray shielding materials, including composites containing tungsten [8,9], nickel [10], rare earths [11], and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) [12], have been extensively studied with substrates such as epoxy resin [13], polyethylene [14], rubber [15], polycarbonate [16], and plexiglass [17]. Among the fillers, tungsten has several advantages as a γ-ray shielding material, including its slightly higher shielding capacity compared to lead at the same thickness and its non-toxicity.…”

Preparation of Bi2O3@PCPA‐KH590/chloroprene composites with good mechanical properties under high‐filling

“…Among them, γ‐ray causes irreversible damage to the human body due to its extremely penetrating and destructive power. Therefore, the development of wearable γ‐ray shielding materials is of great significance to protecting the safety of nuclear‐related personnel 3–7 . Preparing a soft rubber compound with a metal material with a high atomic coefficient is a standard method for wearable and flexible shielding materials 8–15 .…”

“…Therefore, the development of wearable γ-ray shielding materials is of great significance to protecting the safety of nuclear-related personnel. [3][4][5][6][7] Preparing a soft rubber compound with a metal material with a high atomic coefficient is a standard method for wearable and flexible shielding materials. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Metals and their metal compounds with high atomic coefficients have a much higher probability of photoelectric effect, Compton effect, and electron pair effect with γ-rays due to the high-density electron cloud distribution outside the nucleus of metal atoms.…”