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Advanced Electrospun Composites Based on Polycaprolactone Fibers Loaded with Micronized Tungsten Powders for Radiation Shielding

TitoloAdvanced Electrospun Composites Based on Polycaprolactone Fibers Loaded with Micronized Tungsten Powders for Radiation Shielding
Tipo di pubblicazioneArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Anno di Pubblicazione2024
AutoriGiuliani, C., De Stefano I., Mancuso Mariateresa, Fiaschini N., Hein L.A., Mirabile Gattia Daniele, Scatena E., Zenobi E., Del Gaudio C., Galante F., Felici G., and Rinaldi A.
RivistaPolymers
Volume16
Parole chiaveAcute radiation syndrome, aerospace, Aerospace industry, Elastomers, Electromagnetic pulse, Electrospun composite, Health effects, Healthcare industry, Ionomers, polycaprolactone, Polycaprolactone fibers, Polymer composite, Radiation hazards, Radiation shielding, Shielding materials, Silicones, Suspensions (components), Tungsten powder metallurgy, Tungsten powders, Tungsten sheet
Abstract

Exposure to high levels of radiation can cause acute, long-term health effects, such as acute radiation syndrome, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. This is an important occupational hazard in different fields, such as the aerospace and healthcare industry, as well as a crucial burden to overcome to boost space applications and exploration. Protective bulky equipment made of heavy metals is not suitable for many advanced purporses, such as mobile devices, wearable shields, and manned spacecrafts. In the latter case, the in-space manufacturing of protective shields is highly desirable and remains an unmet need. Composites made of polymers and high atomic number fillers are potential means for radiation protection due to their low weight, good flexibility, and good processability. In the present work, we developed electrospun composites based on polycaprolactone (polymer matrix) and tungsten powder for application as shielding materials. Electrospinning is a versatile technology that is easily scalable at an industrial level and allows obtaining very lightweight, flexible sheet materials for wearables. By controlling tungsten powder size, we engineered homogeneous, stable and processable suspensions to fabricate radiation composite shielding sheets. The shielding capability was assessed by an in vivo model on prototype composite sheets containing 80 w% of W filler in a polycaprolactone (PCL) fibrous matrix by means of irradiation tests (X-rays) on mice. The obtained results are promising; as expected, the shielding effectivity of the developed composite material increases with the thickness/number of stacked layers. It is worth noting that a thin barrier consisting of 24 layers of the innovative shielding material reduces the extent of apoptosis by 1.5 times compared to the non-shielded mice. © 2024 by the authors.

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URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85205129421&doi=10.3390%2fpolym16182590&partnerID=40&md5=40bbfc3e0ddac42b47ad82bee1fd22c8
DOI10.3390/polym16182590
Citation KeyGiuliani2024