Li Qin, Chen Jian, Zhang Xingwu, Ruan Chenjie, Wu Weiwei
Yangjiang Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., Yangjiang 529941, China.
School of Information Mechanics and Sensing Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710126, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2025 Sep 16;15(18):1421. doi: 10.3390/nano15181421.
With the rapid growth of nuclear energy, effective shielding of radioactive nuclear by-products is critical for safety and environmental protection. Gadolinium (Gd) is ideal for neutron shielding due to its exceptionally high thermal neutron capture cross-section. Despite significant progress in developing various Gd-based shielding materials, poor interfacial compatibility between GdO and polymer matrices remains a significant limitation. In this study, we addressed this challenge by successfully modifying GdO nanoparticles (GdO@SIT-M) through the construction of a dual-layer molecular coating using electrostatic interactions. Initially, GdO was functionalized with the silane coupling agent 3-(trihydroxysilyl) propyl-1-propane-sulfonic acid (SIT), followed by subsequent assembly of polyether amine M2070 onto this modified surface. The combined presence of hydrophilic sulfonic acid groups from SIT and amine-ether groups from M2070 endowed GdO@SIT-M nanoparticles with excellent hydrophilicity, significantly reducing their aqueous contact angle to 14.34°. Consequently, this modification strategy notably enhanced the dispersion stability of GdO nanoparticles in aqueous solutions and polymer matrices. The developed approach thus provides an effective pathway for fabricating advanced polymer-based neutron shielding materials with improved dispersibility, stability, and overall performance.
随着核能的快速发展，对放射性核副产物进行有效屏蔽对于安全和环境保护至关重要。钆（Gd）因其极高的热中子俘获截面而成为中子屏蔽的理想材料。尽管在开发各种基于钆的屏蔽材料方面取得了显著进展，但氧化钆（GdO）与聚合物基体之间较差的界面相容性仍然是一个重大限制。在本研究中，我们通过利用静电相互作用构建双层分子涂层成功修饰氧化钆纳米颗粒（GdO@SIT-M）来应对这一挑战。首先，用硅烷偶联剂3-(三羟基硅基)丙基-1-丙烷磺酸（SIT）对GdO进行功能化，随后将聚醚胺M2070组装到该修饰表面上。SIT中的亲水性磺酸基团和M2070中的胺醚基团共同赋予GdO@SIT-M纳米颗粒优异的亲水性，使其水接触角显著降低至14.34°。因此，这种修饰策略显著提高了GdO纳米颗粒在水溶液和聚合物基体中的分散稳定性。所开发的方法因此为制备具有改善的分散性、稳定性和整体性能的先进聚合物基中子屏蔽材料提供了一条有效途径。
