Development and Characterization of Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN)/Tungsten Oxide (WO3) Composites for Gamma Radiation Shielding Applications

Abstract

Abstract The present study details the design and integral characterization of a novel polyethylene naphthalate (PEN)/tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) composite designed for gamma radiation shielding applications. The composites were prepared by melt processing, incorporating WO 3 at 5, 10, and 20% by mass as a high-Z filler to enhance the radiation attenuation efficiency. We performed morphological, structural, and thermal characterizations of these composites using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Additionally, the tensile test was performed to evaluate the mechanical strength. The shielding performance was evaluated by determining the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC, µ m ), half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP) across photon energies ranging from 31 to 1332 keV. These parameters were determined experimentally using the HPGe gamma detector and the NIST XCOM database, and were theoretically simulated using the EGS4 Monte Carlo approach. A strong agreement was found between the experimental, simulation, and theoretical attenuation values, confirming the effectiveness of the composite in gamma radiation shielding. The MAC value of the pure PEN, which was 0.080 cm 2 /g at 662 keV, was increased to 0.086 cm 2 /g by introducing 20 wt% of WO 3 . The results indicate the potential of PEN/WO 3 composites as lightweight, efficient shielding materials for radiation protection applications, particularly in the 31–276 keV energy range.