Investigation of P(VDF-TrFE)/ZrO{sub 2}-MMA polymer composites applied to radiation shielding

Conference · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015

OSTI ID:22531316

Fontainha, C. C.P. ^[1]; Baptista Neto, A. T.; Santos, A. P.; Faria, L. O. ^[2]

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1. Depto. de Engenharia Nuclear - UFMG, Av. Antonio Carlos 6627, 31270-970 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)
2. Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear, Av. Antonio Carlos 6627, C.P. 941, 30270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

Exposure to high radiation dose in medical diagnostic imaging procedures can lead patients to suffer tissue damaging. However, there are several studies that identify significant dose reduction with the use of radiation protective attenuators, minimizing the delivered dose in the region that covers the main beam, while preserving the diagnostic quality of the generated image. Most radiation attenuator materials are produced from shielding metal containing composites, whose efficiency is the goal of investigations around the world. In this context, polymeric materials were chosen for this investigation in order to provide light-weighted and flexible protective composites, a must in personal protective shielding. Therefore, this work is concerned to the investigation of poly(vinylidene fluoride - try-fluor-ethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] copolymers mixed with zirconia nanoparticles. The resulting polymer composites, prepared with 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 at.% of ZrO{sub 2} nanoparticles, were investigated for application as protective shielding in some interventional radiology procedures. Two variety of composites were produced, one using pure ZrO{sub 2} nanoparticles and the other using sol-gel route with zirconium butoxide as the precursor for zirconium oxide nano-clusters. The P(VDFTrFE)/ ZrO2-MMA polymer composites produced by sol-gel route have provided a much better dispersion of the pure ZrO{sub 2} material into the P(VDF-TrFE) host matrix. UV-Vis and FTIR spectrometry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to characterize the composite samples. FTIR data reveal a possible link between the MMA monomers with the P(VDF-TrFE) chain through shared C=O bonds. The radiation shielding characterization was conducted by using a 70 kV x-rays beam which is applicable, for instances, in catheter angiography. The results demonstrate that composites with 10% of ZrO{sub 2}, and only 1.0 mm thick, can attenuate 60% of the x-rays beam. The composite density was evaluated to be 2.20 g/cm{sup 3}. The results indicate that P(VDF-TrFE)/ZrO{sub 2}-MMA polymer composites have potential to be investigated as light-weighted and flexible protective shielding for application in some radiological procedures that uses low kilovoltage x-ray beams. (authors)

• Research Organization: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - IEEE, 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016-5997 (United States)
• OSTI ID: 22531316
• Report Number(s): ANIMMA--2015-IO-269
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ANIMAL TISSUES
BLOOD VESSELS
CALORIMETRY
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
COPOLYMERS
ETHYLENE
FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS
FOURIER TRANSFORMATION
INFRARED SPECTRA
IRRADIATION
MONOMERS
NANOPARTICLES
PATIENTS
PHOSPHORS
POLYVINYLS
RADIATION DOSES
SOL-GEL PROCESS
VISIBLE RADIATION
X RADIATION
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES