Effect of Recycled CRT Glass Powder on the Structural, Physical, Thermal, Mechanical, and Gamma-Ray Shielding Properties of Polyester Resin Composites

This research examines a sustainable waste-recycling route for radiation shielding in polyester-based composites filled with 0–50% cathode ray tube (CRT) glass. This study seeks to reveal the mechanical behavior, microstructure, thermal behavior, and gamma-ray shielding efficiency of these composites. Using the HPGe semiconductor spectrometer, experimental measurements were performed on the gamma attenuation properties over energy range energy range 0.0595–1.333 MeV. In addition, experimental linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) values were compared with theoretical LAC values calculated using Phy-X/PSD. In this study, we also examined the mass attenuation constant (MAC), transmission factor (TF), mean free path (MFP), LAC, and other shielding parameters. The best shielding performance was exhibited by the composite containing 50% CRT glass (Poly-CRT-50) among all the investigated samples, with a LAC of 1.456 cm−1 at an energy of 0.0595 MeV, which was the lowest investigated. The developed composite exhibits a better attenuation ability at low energy as proved by this result. In order to further explore the improved composite properties, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied for elemental and microstructural analysis. In addition, TGA and DSC-analyses indicated that the polyester mix’s thermal stability and phase transition behavior was improved in the presence CRT particles. Mechanical testing also confirmed that increasing CRT glass content enhanced the strength and load-carrying capacity of the composites. The findings of the experiment reveal that a polyester composite reinforced with recycled CRT glass is an excellent material for gamma radiation shielding and is eco-friendly.