Anyone who has had dental X-rays is probably familiar with the heavy apron that needs to be worn before the imaging is done. This type of protective garment is usually made of lead—its high density ensures effective protection against unnecessary radiation to the thyroid, chest, and abdomen. But does this kind of shielding always have to be heavy, thus limiting its functionality?

Gamma and X-ray radiation are common not only in the medical field but also in the aerospace and space industries. Essential protection is provided by materials based on lead, as well as steel and tungsten. While all of these materials offer high effectiveness, they come with significant weight and low flexibility, which poses a particular challenge for applications in aerospace and the space sector. Researchers from the Faculty of Physics at the Warsaw University of Technology, the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection (Warsaw), the Central Mining Institute PIB (Katowice), and the Department of Quality Control and Radiological Protection (Medical University of Łódź) decided to explore an alternative in the form of nanocomposites containing graphene flakes.

The researchers proposed a lightweight material combining graphene and ABS polymer (a blend of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene) with a density close to 1 g/cm³ (for comparison, lead has a density of 11.3 g/cm³). This material exhibits excellent radiation shielding properties against X-rays and gamma radiation. For certain energy levels of this radiation, the new material demonstrates record-breaking radiation shielding efficiency compared to other materials in its class.

The authors' observations could contribute to the development of new radiation shields for industry and medicine.

You can read more in the article ”Graphene-based nanocomposites as gamma- and X-ray radiation shield” on the Nature website.

Authors: Karolina Filak-Mędoń, MSc, Krzysztof W. Fornalski, PhD, Klaudia Żerańska, PhD, Prof. Mariusz Zdrojek (Faculty of Physics at the Warsaw University of Technology); Michał Bonczyk, PhD (The Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute); Alicja Jakubowska, MSc, Kamila Kempny, MSc, Katarzyna Wołoszczuk, PhD (Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection in Warsaw); Krzysztof Filipczak, MD, PhD (Department of Quality Control and Radiological Protection at the Medical University of Łódź).

Source: fizyka.pw.edu.pl