<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The growing demand for lightweight, non-toxic and effective X- and γ-ray shielding materials in various fields has led to the exploration of various polymer composites for shielding applications. In this study, tungsten filled polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composites of varying WO3 concentrations (0 - 50 wt%) were prepared by solution cast technique. The structural, morphological, and thermal properties of the prepared composite films were studied using X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The AC conductivity studies showed the low conductivity property of the composites. The X-ray (5.895 and 6.490 keV) and γ-ray (59.54 and 662 keV) attenuation studies performed using CdTe and NaI(Tl) detector spectrometers revealed a noticeable increase in shielding efficiency with increase in filler wt%. The effective atomic number (Zeff) calculated by the direct method agreed with the values obtained using Auto-Zeff software. The % heaviness showed that tungsten filled polyvinyl alcohol composites are lighter than traditional shielding materials.</abstract>

The growing demand for lightweight, non-toxic and effective X- and γ-ray shielding materials in various fields has led to the exploration of various polymer composites for shielding applications. In this study, tungsten filled polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composites of varying WO3 concentrations (0 - 50 wt%) were prepared by solution cast technique. The structural, morphological, and thermal properties of the prepared composite films were studied using X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The AC conductivity studies showed the low conductivity property of the composites. The X-ray (5.895 and 6.490 keV) and γ-ray (59.54 and 662 keV) attenuation studies performed using CdTe and NaI(Tl) detector spectrometers revealed a noticeable increase in shielding efficiency with increase in filler wt%. The effective atomic number (Zeff) calculated by the direct method agreed with the values obtained using Auto-Zeff software. The % heaviness showed that tungsten filled polyvinyl alcohol composites are lighter than traditional shielding materials.

Attenuation parameters of polyvinyl alcohol-tungsten oxide composites at the photon energies 5.895, 6.490, 59.54 and 662 keV

Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The growing demand for lightweight, non-toxic and effective X- and γ-ray shielding materials in various fields has led to the exploration of various polymer...

Attenuation parameters of polyvinyl alcohol-tungsten oxide composites at the photon energies 5.895, 6.490, 59.54 and 662 keV

Published Online: Jun 25, 2020

Page range: 77 - 85

Received: Apr 05, 2019

Accepted: Mar 11, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2020-0009

Keywords
radiation shielding, tungsten filled polyvinyl alcohol composite, mass attenuation coefficient

© 2020 M V Muthamma et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Attenuation parameters of polyvinyl alcohol-tungsten oxide composites at the photon energies 5.895, 6.490, 59.54 and 662 keV

Published Online: Jun 25, 2020

Page range: 77 - 85

Received: Apr 05, 2019

Accepted: Mar 11, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pjmpe-2020-0009

Keywordsradiation shielding, tungsten filled polyvinyl alcohol composite, mass attenuation coefficient

© 2020 M V Muthamma et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
radiation shielding, tungsten filled polyvinyl alcohol composite, mass attenuation coefficient