Introducing a novel low energy gamma ray shield utilizing Polycarbonate Bismuth Oxide composite
Rojin Mehrara, Shahryar Malekie, Seyed Mohsen Saleh Kotahi, Sedigheh Kashian
Abstract
Abstract The fabrication of different weight percentages of Polycarbonate-Bismuth Oxide composite (PC-Bi 2 O 3 ), namely 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt%, was done via the mixed-solution method. The dispersion state of the inclusions into the polymeric matrix was studied through XRD and SEM analyses. Also, TGA and DTA analyses were carried out to investigate the thermal properties of the samples. Results showed that increasing the amount of Bi 2 O 3 into the polymer matrix shifted the glass transition temperature of the composites towards the lower temperatures. Then, the amount of mass attenuation coefficients of the samples were measured using a CsI(Tl) detector for different gamma rays of 241 Am, 57 Co, 99m Tc, and 133 Ba radioactive sources. It was obtained that increasing the concentration of the Bi 2 O 3 fillers in the polycarbonate matrix resulted in increasing the attenuation coefficients of the composites significantly. The attenuation coefficient was enhanced twenty-three times for 50 wt% composite in 59 keV energy, comparing to the pure polycarbonate.