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X-Ray Protection, Surface Chemistry And Rheology Of Ball-Milled Submicron Gd2o3 Aqueous Suspension, Ly B. T. La, Yee-Kwong Leong, Christopher Leatherday, Pek I. Au, Kevin Hayward, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

X-ray protective garments are typically comprised of lead-based materials, which are toxic to both people and the environment. Developing alternative lightweight radiation shielding materials is a priority for protecting people working with radiation. Gadolinium, with an electron configuration typical of radiation shielding elements, is proposed as a non-toxic replacement for lead. This study provides new insights into the potential for a gadolinium suspension for replacing lead and proposes an inexpensive and effective preparation method. Submicron gadolinium oxide (Gd₂O₃) was generated using a cost effective ball milling method involving addition of NaCl. Then, the dispersed-flocculated behaviour of …