Abstract
Polymeric materials can serve as a matrix for the dispersion of nanomaterials with good attenuation features, resulting in lightweight, conformable, flexible, lead-free and easy-to-process materials. Thus, some well-known radiation shielding materials could be used in low proportion as a filler, for the formation of new materials. On the other hand, nanostructured carbon materials, such as graphene oxide (GO) have been reported recently to show enhanced attenuation properties. For the present work, poly(vinylidene fluoride) [PVDF] homopolymers and its fluorinated copolymers were filled with metallic oxides and nanosized reduced graphene oxides (rGO) in order to produce nanocomposites with increased low energy X ray attenuation efficiency. We objective is to investigate the X ray shielding features of multilayered PVDF/rGO and P(VDF-TrFE)/BaO composites. PVDF/rGO overlapped with P(VDF-TrFE)/BaO thin films were sandwiched between two layers of kapton films of different thickness. The linear attenuation coefficients were measured for monochromatic X ray photons with energy of 8.1 keV. The samples were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. The linear attenuation coefficient of the multilayered sample was evaluated and compared with the linear attenuation of the individual constituents. It was observed an increase in the attenuation coefficient of the overlapping samples. It is demonstrated that thin films of rGO nanocomposite with thickness of only 0.32 mm can attenuate up to 50% of X ray beams with energy of 8.1 keV, justifying further investigation of these nanocomposites as X ray or gamma radiation attenuators
Highlights
The poly(vinylidene fluoride) [PVDF] homopolymer has a semi-crystalline structure
We started the shielding characterization of the multilayered nanocomposites made of PVDF/reduced graphene oxides (rGO) and P(VDF-TrFE)/BaO remarking that they may have different linear attenuation coefficients when irradiated with monoenergetic photons of the same energy, once they have different polymeric matrix and fillers
The X-ray attenuation obtained by the sample with P(VDF-TrFE)/BaO and PVDF/rGO with 1.9% of rGO is around 50%
Summary
The poly(vinylidene fluoride) [PVDF] homopolymer has a semi-crystalline structure. In one of its possible five crystalline phases, the beta-phase, it presents significant ferroelectricity compared to other ferroelectric polymers, which provide technological applications as transducers, actuators and artificial muscles [1]. The PVDF ferroelectric properties are observed in one of its fluorinated copolymers, the P(VDF-TrFe) copolymer, for TrFE contents ranging from 18% to 63%. It undergoes a structural phase transition ferro-to-paraelectric phase at temperatures ranging from 52 °C to 80°C, respectively. The great difference in the degree of crystallinity observed in both PVDF and P(VDF-TrFe) is attributed to the different processes of obtaining samples [2]
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