Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shielding
Abstract This work is an attempt to develop flexible radiation shielding based on a blend of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)/polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and LaFeO3 nanoparticles (NPs). LaFeO3 and LaFeO3/PMMA/PVAc were made using simple chemical techniques. A high-resolution transmission electron microsc...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54207-5 |
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| author | M. Khalifa Adel M. El Sayed Said M. Kassem E. Tarek |
| author_facet | M. Khalifa Adel M. El Sayed Said M. Kassem E. Tarek |
| author_sort | M. Khalifa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This work is an attempt to develop flexible radiation shielding based on a blend of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)/polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and LaFeO3 nanoparticles (NPs). LaFeO3 and LaFeO3/PMMA/PVAc were made using simple chemical techniques. A high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that well-crystallized LaFeO3 NPs with particles 79 nm in size and an orthorhombic shape were obtained. In addition, XRD confirmed the existence of PMMA, PVAc, and LaFeO3 in the nanocomposite films. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed that the LaFeO3 NPs and the reactive functional groups in the blend interacted with each other. Field emission-scan electron microscope (FE-SEM) analysis showed that PMMA and PVAc form a homogenous blend and that the LaFeO3 NPs were spread out inside and on the blend surface. The samples showed transmittance in the range of 30–74% and a small extinction coefficient (≤ 0.08). The samples exhibited a dual-band gap structure, and the direct (indirect) band gap shrank from 5.1 to 4.7 eV (4.9 to 4.4 eV). The thermal analyses showed that the samples are thermally stable up to 260 °C. The Phy-X/PSD software was used to figure out the theoretical gamma-ray attenuation parameters, such as the mass attenuation coefficient, the mean free path, and the half-value layer, for different PMMA/PVAc + x% LaFeO3 composites. It is demonstrated that the PMMA/PVAc + 10 wt% LaFeO3 sample exhibits much better shielding effectiveness than PMMA/PVAc, and hence it is suitable for protecting against radiation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:07:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dff0487ba7d34330ad0eebf652cc256e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:07:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-dff0487ba7d34330ad0eebf652cc256e2024-03-05T18:50:53ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-02-0114111710.1038/s41598-024-54207-5Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shieldingM. Khalifa0Adel M. El Sayed1Said M. Kassem2E. Tarek3Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum UniversityPhysics Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum UniversityRadiation Protection and Dosimetry Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA)Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum UniversityAbstract This work is an attempt to develop flexible radiation shielding based on a blend of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)/polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and LaFeO3 nanoparticles (NPs). LaFeO3 and LaFeO3/PMMA/PVAc were made using simple chemical techniques. A high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that well-crystallized LaFeO3 NPs with particles 79 nm in size and an orthorhombic shape were obtained. In addition, XRD confirmed the existence of PMMA, PVAc, and LaFeO3 in the nanocomposite films. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed that the LaFeO3 NPs and the reactive functional groups in the blend interacted with each other. Field emission-scan electron microscope (FE-SEM) analysis showed that PMMA and PVAc form a homogenous blend and that the LaFeO3 NPs were spread out inside and on the blend surface. The samples showed transmittance in the range of 30–74% and a small extinction coefficient (≤ 0.08). The samples exhibited a dual-band gap structure, and the direct (indirect) band gap shrank from 5.1 to 4.7 eV (4.9 to 4.4 eV). The thermal analyses showed that the samples are thermally stable up to 260 °C. The Phy-X/PSD software was used to figure out the theoretical gamma-ray attenuation parameters, such as the mass attenuation coefficient, the mean free path, and the half-value layer, for different PMMA/PVAc + x% LaFeO3 composites. It is demonstrated that the PMMA/PVAc + 10 wt% LaFeO3 sample exhibits much better shielding effectiveness than PMMA/PVAc, and hence it is suitable for protecting against radiation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54207-5LaFeO3PMMA/PVAc NanocompositesCo-precipitationDual bandgap materialsThermal stabilityγ-ray shielding |
| spellingShingle | M. Khalifa Adel M. El Sayed Said M. Kassem E. Tarek Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shielding Scientific Reports LaFeO3 PMMA/PVAc Nanocomposites Co-precipitation Dual bandgap materials Thermal stability γ-ray shielding |
| title | Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shielding |
| title_full | Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shielding |
| title_fullStr | Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shielding |
| title_full_unstemmed | Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shielding |
| title_short | Synthesis, structural, optical, and thermal properties of LaFeO3/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) nanocomposites for radiation shielding |
| title_sort | synthesis structural optical and thermal properties of lafeo3 poly methyl methacrylate poly vinyl acetate nanocomposites for radiation shielding |
| topic | LaFeO3 PMMA/PVAc Nanocomposites Co-precipitation Dual bandgap materials Thermal stability γ-ray shielding |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54207-5 |
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