Recently, the research group of researcher Huang Qunying from the Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety of the Hefei Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made new progress in the development of samarium-containing epoxy resin neutron shielding materials
.
Due to the problem of poor heat resistance of the existing lightweight shielding materials, the researchers used APTES to chemically modify the Sm2O3 particles and physically blend them with the high temperature matrix AFG-90H epoxy resin (aviation grade trifunctional epoxy resin).
, a method for preparing a composite neutron shielding material Sm2O3-APTES/AFG-90H with high thermal stability
.
Relevant results were published in the international polymer journal Polymers coating online coatingol.
com
.
Advanced nuclear energy systems put forward higher thermal stability, mechanical properties and high-efficiency neutron shielding performance requirements for neutron shielding materials.
The dispersion and good compatibility of fillers in polymers can ensure the comprehensive performance of epoxy resin composites
.
In order to develop neutron shielding materials with higher performance, the researchers used new high-performance epoxy resins AFG-90H and Sm2O3 as the matrix and filler, respectively.
The composition is optimized and designed, and on this basis, the surface treatment of Sm2O3 particles is carried out by APTES chemical modification process, which improves the dispersion and compatibility of fillers in resin
.
The research results show that when the addition amount of Sm2O3-APTES is 30 wt%, the initial thermal decomposition temperature, glass transition temperature and Young's modulus of the composite are significantly improved compared with the matrix
.
By analyzing the tensile cross-section morphology of the composites, this study clarifies the mechanism of the strengthening and toughening of the composites, as well as the dispersive stress effect at low additions and the energy dissipation effect at high additions of Sm2O3-APTES
.
Thermal Properties of Sm2O3-APTES/AFG-90H Composites
Relevant research results provide engineering solutions for the research and development of lightweight and high-temperature resistant neutron shielding materials for advanced nuclear energy systems, and also provide new ideas for the research and development of high-performance neutron shielding materials for advanced nuclear energy systems
.
The research work was funded by the National Key R&D Program
.
