Publication

Abstract : Protective materials based on lead are the usual X- ray shielding materials but their extended use leads to severe health problems due to the toxic nature of lead. Moreover, lead based materials are not appropriate for absorbing the regular energy region of X-ray used in medical field and hence natural rubber composites containing modified Gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) as filler is suggested as an alternative. Natural rubber composites were prepared with organically modified Gd2O3 at various filler loadings.The structural features of modified Gd2O3 were examined using FTIR, X-ray diffraction and SEM. The particle size of organically modified Gd2O3 was found to be in the nano range which contributes to the enhanced properties of the composites. The increase of filler loading improved the shielding effectiveness of the rubber composites. Examination of mechanical and X-ray shielding properties show the effectiveness of the material to be used as potential shielding materials.