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Modification of 3D Printable Polymer Filaments for Radiation Shielding Applications
Antonio Jreije1, Swaroop Kumar Mutyala1, Benas Gabrielis Urbonavičius1
1Department of Physics, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentu˛ Str. 50, 51368 Kaunas, Lithuania.
Polymers
|April 13, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed novel 3D-printed composites using titanium dioxide (TiO2) filler for radiation shielding. The ABS/TiO2 composite, especially at 5 wt.%, effectively shielded electronic devices in radiotherapy environments after radiation exposure.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Additive Manufacturing
- Radiation Physics
Background:
- Growing demand for lead-free, lightweight, and customizable radiation shielding materials.
- Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) offers cost-effectiveness, design flexibility, and precision for radiation shielding applications.
- Ionizing radiation necessitates robust shielding for medical environments and electronic devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop 3D printing composites with titanium dioxide (TiO2) for radiation shielding in medical environments.
- To evaluate the impact of ionizing radiation on common 3D printing polymers.
- To create and characterize novel ABS/TiO2 composites for enhanced radiation attenuation.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the mechanical properties of ABS, ULTRAT, PLA, NYLON, ASA, and PETG under low-dose ionizing radiation (up to 15 Gy).
- Selected ABS as the matrix due to its minimal mechanical variation post-irradiation.
- Developed and extruded new 3D filaments of ABS with 1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 5 wt.% TiO2 filler.
- Assessed the mechanical properties (UTS, Young's modulus) and radiation attenuation of the developed composites after irradiation up to 100 Gy.
Main Results:
- ABS exhibited the lowest variation in ultimate tensile strength (±5%) and Young's modulus (-5%/+11%) after low-dose irradiation.
- The highest UTS (28.4 MPa) was observed in ABS composites with 3 wt.% TiO2.
- ABS/TiO2 composites (3 wt.% and 5 wt.%) retained their attenuation ability after 100 Gy irradiation, unlike pure ABS which showed a ~2.5% reduction.
- The 5 wt.% TiO2 composite successfully shielded electronic devices in a radiotherapy setting.
Conclusions:
- Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is a suitable matrix for 3D-printed radiation shielding composites due to its radiation stability.
- Incorporating titanium dioxide (TiO2) into ABS enhances radiation attenuation properties, particularly at higher filler concentrations.
- The developed ABS/TiO2 composite (5 wt.% TiO2) shows promise for shielding electronic devices in high-radiation medical environments.
