A review on polymer nanocomposites as lead-free materials for diagnostic X-ray shielding: Recent advances, challenges and future perspectives

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites are promising alternates to toxic lead-based shielding material and have huge potential for practical applications, such as, in diagnostic X-ray shielding. Polymer nanocomposites as lead-free shielding material could be tuned for the shielding of X-rays in a wide energy range by varying the nanofiller concentration, nanocomposite thickness, nanofiller system, etc. This review provides an introduction to the polymer nanocomposites, polymer nanocomposite applications, radiation shielding, lead-based X-ray shielding material, molecular mechanism of lead toxicity, lead-free diagnostic X-ray shielding materials, polymer nanocomposites for X-ray shielding, various polymer matrix materials, radiation-induced degradation and radiation resistance of polymer matrix, nanomaterials used as fillers in polymer matrix, role of polymer and filler particle size on X-ray attenuation, nanocomposites for attenuation of other types of radiation, such as, Gamma radiation and neutrons, theoretical calculations of attenuation coefficient, polymer-nanofiller interfacial interaction, challenges ahead and future perspectives involving nanocomposite toxicity, disposal and recycling. This review would be an ideal material for experimentalists and theoreticians practicing in the field of radiation shielding materials, and would also serve as an excellent reference for beginners in this topic.

Keywords

• Polymer
• Nanocomposites
• Radiation shielding
• X-rays
• Nanofillers
• Gadolinium