Gamma radiation attenuation characteristics of composites based on polyimide track membranes filled with nanodispersed Pb

Abstract The paper presents data on the effect of γ-radiation on polymer composites based on polyimide track membranes filled with nanodispersed lead. The radiation-protective properties of the composites were studied by theoretical and experimental methods. To carry out experimental studies on the effect of γ-radiation on the composite, radioactive sources cesium-137 and cobalt- 60 were used. The calculated data of the linear attenuation coefficient of γ-radiation in the composite, depending on the initial energy of γ-quanta in the range from 0.5 to 5 MeV, are presented. The contribution of the photoelectric effect, the Compton effect, and the formation of electron-positron pairs to the total linear attenuation coefficient of the gamma radiation of the composite is estimated. When γ-radiation passes through 2.5 mm of the composite, the intensity of γ-radiation absorption decreases by 17.7 and 4.4% at radiation energies of 0.5 and 5 MeV, respectively. It was experimentally established that the introduction of nanodispersed filler Pb into a polyimide track membrane made it possible to increase the linear attenuation coefficient of γ-radiation by more than 6 times at an energy of 0.662 MeV, and by a factor of 3.7 at an energy of 1.252 MeV as compared to pure polymeric material.