Lead’s high density (density of ∼ 11.34 g/cm) facilitates X-ray attenuation, but its mass and toxicity limit applicability. Therefore, it is essential to replace Pb with lighter and nontoxic shielding materials; however, alternative shielding usually exhibits inferior performance to Pb. In this study, we successfully developed efficient radiation shielding sponges with a light weight (density of ∼ 1 g/cm) and a coin shape (thickness of 3 mm and diameter of 25 mm) by combining polymeric Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), sulfated tungsten oxide (S-WO), and bismuth halides. The synthesized S-WO powder, PDMS/S-WO and PDMS/S-WO/BiI sponges are examined using numerous techniques, such as XRD, FE-SEM with EDX/mapping, HR-TEM with EDX/mapping, XPS, BET, TGA, FT-IR and mechanical properties analysis. The XRD patterns revealed no significant peak shifts, indicating that sulfation had no discernible impact on the crystal structure or phase composition of WO. SEM analysis of PDMS/S-WO, PDMS/S-WO/BiI sponge indicated an even distribution of S-WO and bismuth halide particles within the PDMS matrix. Our novel porous sponge matrices of PDMS and S-WO effectively adsorbed bismuth halide salts on their porous surfaces, forming intimate interfaces and uniform dispersions in the composites. The shielding sponge exhibits high X-ray attenuation. Coin-shaped PDMS/S-WO/BiI demonstrated 90.2 % X-ray shielding efficiency at 60 kV, a top value for non-heavy-metal shields. This study investigates the development and characterization of PDMS/S-WO/BiI composite materials aimed at enhancing X-ray shielding effectiveness. The composite leverages the high atomic number and density of S-WO and BiI to improve X-ray attenuation, while the flexibility and chemical stability of PDMS provide mechanical robustness and ease of fabrication. Through a series of experimental evaluations, we demonstrate that the PDMS/S-WO/BiI composite exhibits superior X-ray shielding capabilities compared to conventional materials. This work demonstrates significant progress in flexible, high-performance X-ray shielding. The approach provides a foundation for developing lightweight, radiation-protective materials using doped metal oxides and halide salts.

中文翻译：

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由硫酸化氧化钨和卤化铋复合材料组成的柔性轻质辐射屏蔽海绵


铅的高密度（密度约为 11.34 g/cm3）有​​利于 X 射线衰减，但其质量和毒性限制了其适用性。因此，用更轻、无毒的屏蔽材料替代Pb势在必行；然而，替代屏蔽的性能通常不如铅。在这项研究中，我们通过结合聚合聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）、硫酸化氧化钨，成功开发出重量轻（密度~1 g/cm）和硬币形状（厚度为3毫米，直径为25毫米）的高效辐射屏蔽海绵。 （S-WO）和卤化铋。使用多种技术对合成的 S-WO 粉末、PDMS/S-WO 和 PDMS/S-WO/BiI 海绵进行检查，例如 XRD、EDX/mapping 的 FE-SEM、EDX/mapping 的 HR-TEM、XPS、BET 、TGA、FT-IR 和机械性能分析。 XRD 图谱显示没有明显的峰移，表明硫酸化对 WO 的晶体结构或相组成没有明显的影响。 PDMS/S-WO、PDMS/S-WO/BiI 海绵的 SEM 分析表明，S-WO 和卤化铋颗粒在 PDMS 基质内均匀分布。我们的新型 PDMS 和 S-WO 多孔海绵基质可有效地将卤化铋盐吸附在其多孔表面上，在复合材料中形成紧密的界面和均匀的分散体。屏蔽海绵表现出高X射线衰减。硬币形 PDMS/S-WO/BiI 在 60 kV 下表现出 90.2% 的 X 射线屏蔽效率，这是非重金属屏蔽的最高值。本研究研究了旨在提高 X 射线屏蔽效能的 PDMS/S-WO/BiI 复合材料的开发和表征。 该复合材料利用 S-WO 和 BiI 的高原子序数和密度来改善 X 射线衰减，而 PDMS 的灵活性和化学稳定性提供了机械稳健性和易于制造。通过一系列的实验评估，我们证明PDMS/S-WO/BiI复合材料与传统材料相比表现出优异的X射线屏蔽能力。这项工作展示了灵活、高性能 X 射线屏蔽方面的重大进展。该方法为使用掺杂金属氧化物和卤化物盐开发轻质防辐射材料奠定了基础。