A lightweight material created by researchers at Waterloo Engineering could spare health-care workers from chronic pain by replacing the heavy lead now used in X-ray aprons to provide protection from radiation.
Made from a soft, silicone-based plastic mixed with nanoparticles of tungsten, the lead alternative reduces the weight of X-ray aprons by almost 90 per cent while still offering a similar level of protection.
“Our research shows that radiation shielding does not have to rely on toxic, heavy materials such as lead,” said Dr. Tizazu Mekonnen, a chemical engineering professor at Waterloo.
“By engineering the size, shape, arrangement and distribution of nanoparticles within flexible polymers, we can achieve excellent X-ray protection while dramatically reducing weight. This opens the door to safer, more comfortable shielding materials for health-care workers and others who are routinely exposed to radiation.”
Researchers experimented with several alternatives to lead – including bismuth, gadolinium, barium and other heavy metals - before focusing on tungsten, which is well-suited to blocking X-rays because of its high density at the atomic level.
Aklilu G. Messele, an engineering PhD student who co-authored a paper on the research, is now exploring use of the new material for other types of radiation, including gamma ray emissions in the nuclear energy sector, and to block electromagnetic waves from devices such as cellphones and Wi-Fi.
“We carry cellphones every day,” said Mekonnen, a Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Multiphase Polymers. “The impact on our bodies is unknown. What if we can design a cover that protects from the radiation emitted by our phones?”
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