An empirical study on the X-ray attenuation capability of n-WO3/n-Bi2O3/PVA with added starch

Matrix composites of n-WO3/n-Bi2O3/PVA with different loadings of n-WO3/n-Bi2O3 mixtures (0–15 wt%) and starch (0 and 3 wt%) were fabricated by using melt-mixing method. The X-ray attenuation capability were evaluated based on mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) using a general diagnostic X-ray machine at 40–100 kVp. The effect of starch addition on the dispersion of the fillers in the PVA matrix were observed by using FESEM through morphological analysis. The fabricated samples have shrunken and caused their thickness to be decreased (0.35 mm–0.55 mm) after the drying process even though fixed thickness (2.0 mm) was set initially. The density and HVL values of the samples with 3 wt% starch was seen lower than samples without starch (0 wt%), however the former have provided improvement in filler dispersion and better X-ray attenuation capability compared to the latter. As conclusion, the matrix composite of n-WO3/n-Bi2O3/PVA with 15 wt% of n-Bi2O3, 8 wt% of n-WO3 and 3 wt% starch can be selected as the best promising candidate for X-ray shielding materials.