Investigating photon radiation shielding capabilities of advanced polymers for sustainable composite materials

Abstract

Advanced polymers are considered promising candidates for matrix materials in composite photon radiation shielding due to their flexibility in manufacturing, recyclability, and ease of processing. Furthermore, their low density makes them particularly suitable for applications requiring effective yet lightweight shielding, such as in medicine, aerospace, and small modular reactors. The present work investigated the gamma-ray shielding performance of seven advanced polymers. The photon radiation shielding properties were estimated utilizing the Phy-X/PSD software through calculations of the linear attenuation coefficient and effective atomic number. The results indicate that thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) exhibits the highest gamma attenuation values among the studied polymers at energies above 81 keV. However, its performance is very close to polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), with a difference of less than 0.5 %. Additionally, polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) exhibits superior attenuation efficiency at energies below 81 keV. To validate the theoretical data, the linear attenuation coefficient values for polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) were determined experimentally using a gamma-ray spectroscopy system with a LaBr₃(Ce) detector and various radioactive sources within the energy range of 31–1332.5 keV. The experimental results showed good agreement with the theoretical data obtained by the Phy-X/PSD, with differences ranging from 0.44 % to 5.19 %. These findings highlight polyethylene terephthalate glycol as a promising thermoplastic matrix for developing sustainable photon radiation shielding composites.