Abstract
Polyethylene is used as a traditional shielding material in the nuclear industry, but still suffers from low softening point, poor mechanical properties, and difficult machining. In this study, novel boron carbide polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) composites with different mass ratios were prepared and tested as fast neutron absorbers. Next, shielding test pieces with low porosity were rapidly manufactured through the fused deposition modeling (FDM)-3D printing optimization process. The respective heat resistances, mechanical properties, and neutron shielding characteristics of as-obtained PEEK and boron carbide PEEK composites with different thicknesses were then evaluated. At load of 0.45 MPa, the heat deformation temperature of boron carbide PEEK increased with the boron carbide content. The heat deformation temperature of 30% wt. boron carbide PEEK was recorded as 308.4 °C. After heat treatment, both tensile strength and flexural strength of PEEK and PEEK composites rose by 40%–50% and 65%–78%, respectively. Moreover, the as-prepared composites showed excellent fast neutron shielding performances. For shielding test pieces with thicknesses between 40 mm and 100 mm, the neutron shielding rates exhibited exponential variation as a function of boron carbide content. The addition of 5%–15% boron carbide significantly changed the curvature of the shielding rate curve, suggesting an optimal amount of boron carbide. Meanwhile, the integrated shielding/structure may effectively shield neutron radiation, thereby ensuring optimal shielding performances. In sum, further optimization of the proposed process could achieve lightweight materials with less consumables and small volume.
Highlights
With the increasing use of nuclear energy in various sectors [1], growing concerns about radiation safety and protection issues are being considered [2,3,4]
The flexural strength in PEEK composites reached a maximum at boron carbide content of 10%
88.19% vol For 30% wt. boron carbide PEEK, boron carbide occupied 18.67%17 of 24 and PEEK took up 81.33% vol The shielding ratio of PEEK increased with the thickness of test pieces
Summary
With the increasing use of nuclear energy in various sectors [1], growing concerns about radiation safety and protection issues are being considered [2,3,4]. The development of nuclear radiation protection materials with improved shielding protection, but limited volume, structure, and high-temperature environment has become an important and urgent task. Thereby, HDPE has excellent physical and mechanical properties, but it is difficult to be processed in extruder owing to its long and tangled molecular chain; extremely high melt viscosity [40,41]; decomposition after heating; and extreme insensitivity to thermal shear stress, which may result in shear fracture. The development of novel high-temperature-resistant materials with improved neutron shielding properties is highly desirable. Its crystal structure means it possesses excellent heat resistance and mechanical properties [51,52,53,54] It can be used at 250 ◦ C for a long time, and its instantaneous temperature can reach 300 ◦ C, and even at 400 ◦ C, it can endure a short period without decomposition.
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