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Gamma radiation shielding performance and physico-chemical properties of poly (vinyl alcohol)/Cd(NO3)2 composite films

  • El-Sayed A. Waly EMAIL logo , Omayma A. Ghazy , Magdy Khalil EMAIL logo and Zakaria I. Ali
Published/Copyright: March 17, 2022
Radiochimica Acta
From the journal Radiochimica Acta Volume 110 Issue 4

Abstract

To improve a radiation shielding performance of the polymer composite, poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was composited with cadmium nitrate. Its radiation shielding capabilities of PVA/Cd(NO3)2 composite films were investigated at three different Cd(NO3)2 concentration levels: 5, 10, and 15% wt. The structural, thermal, and optical properties of the synthesized composite films were examined. The addition of cadmium nitrate to the polymer worsened its thermal stability and improved its optical energy band gap by lowering its direct bandgap energy from 4.56 to 3.25 eV for PVA and PVA/15 wt% Cd(NO3)2 films, respectively. The gamma-ray shielding capacity of the composite was examined using radioactive sources including 241Am (59.5 keV),57Co (122 keV), 192Ir (346 keV) and 137Cs (662 keV). The Micro-Shielding program was used to compare the experimental results of gamma transmittance with theoretical calculations, and the results were found to be in good agreement. Radiation shielding performance of PVA/Cd(NO3)2 composite films was examined by the determination of the linear attenuation coefficient (µ), mass attenuation coefficient (µm), half value layer (HVL) and exposure buildup factor (EBF). The reinforcement of PVA matrix with 15 wt% Cd(NO3)2 supported to increase the radiation shielding capacity by 13.7% for gamma photons of 57Co radioisotope.

Keywords: optical energy bandgap; PVA/Cd(NO3)2 composite films; radiation shielding; structural; thermal stability
Corresponding authors: Magdy Khalil, Hot Laboratories and Waste Management Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), P. No. 13759, Cairo, Egypt, E-mail: ; and El-Sayed A. Waly, Second Research Reactor, Nuclear Research Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA). P.O. 11787, Cairo, Egypt; National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the staff members and colleagues of the Nuclear Fuel Technology Department, Hot Laboratories Centre and Nuclear Research Center of Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority for their cooperation, and useful help offered during this work.

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2021-06-04
Accepted: 2022-02-24
Published Online: 2022-03-17
Published in Print: 2022-04-26

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2021-1062
Keywords for this article
optical energy bandgap; PVA/Cd(NO3)2 composite films; radiation shielding; structural; thermal stability

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Papers
  3. Unique transport behaviour of Am(III)/Eu(III) ions across a supported liquid membrane containing a TREN-based diglycolamide dendrimer ligand
  4. A novel CPE procedure by oil-in-water microemulsion for preconcentrating and analyzing thorium and uranium
  5. Separation of 103Pd from a Rh target using an alloying pretreatment with bismuth
  6. Experimental and computational study of rafoxanide radioiodination via isotopic exchange reaction
  7. Preparation, biological evaluation and radiolabeling of [99mTc]-technetium tricarbonyl procainamide as a tracer for heart imaging in mice
  8. Gamma radiation shielding performance and physico-chemical properties of poly (vinyl alcohol)/Cd(NO3)2 composite films
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