Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt.
Department of Environmental Studies, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 21;12(1):12467. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-16317-w.
In the present study, a new type of radiation shielding material was developed by using a 3-D printing technique which enables to create a light radiation shielding materials of a great variety of shapes and dimensions. Micro and nano bismuth particles were incorporated as a filler between the inner layers of polylactic acid thermoplastic polymer (PLA Plastic) designed of the investigated 3-D printed prototypes to achieve the desired radiation attenuation. The effect of particle size on the attenuation parameters were studied over the energy range from 0.0595 to 1.41 MeV. The mass and thickness needed to reduce the intensity of the incoming radiation to half of its original value were determined experimentally for pure polymer (ABS Plastic), polymer with bulk Bi, and polymer with nano Bi. The results reveal that bismuth NPs with average particle size of about 17 ± 3 nm have a greater mass attenuation capability than normal bulk bismuth particles, meaning they are more efficient and a lighter shield can be produced. The enhanced shielding ability of nano bismuth particles was contributed to the excellent particle distribution, leading to an increase in the probability of photons interacting with the bismuth atoms. The bismuth NPs 3-D printed objects can be considered as a promising radiation shielding candidates and also could be utilized in manufacturing of radiation medical phantom.
在本研究中，通过使用 3D 打印技术开发了一种新型的辐射屏蔽材料，该技术可制造出各种形状和尺寸的轻质辐射屏蔽材料。将微米和纳米级铋颗粒作为填充剂加入到聚乳酸热塑性聚合物（PLA 塑料）的内层之间，设计了所研究的 3D 打印原型，以实现所需的辐射衰减。研究了颗粒尺寸对 0.0595 至 1.41 MeV 能量范围内衰减参数的影响。通过实验确定了纯聚合物（ABS 塑料）、含有块状 Bi 的聚合物和含有纳米 Bi 的聚合物减少入射辐射强度至原始值一半所需的质量和厚度。结果表明，平均粒径约为 17±3nm 的铋纳米颗粒比普通块状铋颗粒具有更高的质量衰减能力，这意味着它们的效率更高，并且可以生产更轻的屏蔽材料。纳米铋颗粒的增强屏蔽能力归因于其优异的颗粒分布，增加了光子与铋原子相互作用的概率。铋纳米颗粒 3D 打印制品可被视为一种有前途的辐射屏蔽候选材料，也可用于制造辐射医疗体模。
