Abstract
Different types of materials are used for radiation shielding owing to the wide usage of radioactive materials in different applications and practices. However, the flexible nature of the shielding material provides a significant advantage in various applications. In this context, the usage of elastomeric materials in a radiation accident situation or normal operating conditions would be a great asset. Although lead is generally used as the gamma ray shielding material, bismuth is also preferred in gamma shielding due to its non-toxic structure and high atomic number. In this study, an X/gamma-ray shielding composite material that contains silicone rubber and bismuth (III) oxide was developed. Silicone rubber (polydimethylsiloxane) and bismuth (III) oxide compound were vulcanized and the curing behavior of the composite was investigated in detail, using both Moving Die Rheometer and Differential Scanning Calorimeter and analyzing the results concomitantly. Mechanical and thermal analyses were carried out and it was concluded from the analysis results that the addition of the bismuth (III) oxide into the silicone matrix was significantly improved the elastic modulus and thermal stability of the developed material. It was also concluded that bismuth (III) oxide addition into the silicone rubber matrix resulted in a flexible X/gamma shielding material with an attenuation rate of 96.4%. Moreover, half-value layer (HVL) decreased with the increment of bismuth (III) oxide content. We propose that the flexible silicone material with different bismuth content, which has both thermal and kinetic properties examined in detail, can be used as flexible X/gamma shielding material.
Published Version
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