BaSO<sub>4</sub>/Polyvinyl Alcohol Composites for Radiation Shielding

Abstract

The gamma ray and X-ray shielding properties of PVA containing different proportions of BaSO 4 as an aggregate have been investigated. The photon linear attenuation coefficients were measured by using 241 Am radioactive source (59.54 keV). Gamma rays were counted by a NaI(Tl) detector. It was found that the shielding efficiency increased when increasing the amount of BaSO 4 and specimen thickness. The linear attenuation coefficients were 0.085, 0.125, 0.179, and 0.189 for 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8%w/v of BaSO 4 . The X-ray attenuation test was performed using the diagnostic X-ray machine for energy of 45 kVp. The optical density of X-ray films was investigated. The results showed that the optical density of X-ray film decreased when increasing the amounts of BaSO 4 .