Diagnostic X-Ray Shielding on Lead-Free Bismuth-Epoxy Resin Composite

Recently, there has been increasing demand for X-ray shielding in the diagnosis and therapy field, as well as nuclear research and space exploration. Conventional X-ray shielding materials such as lead and concrete suffer from poor structural strength and/or high toxicity. In this paper, bismuth is predicted as an alternative element for diagnostic X-ray shielding from lead. A series of epoxy resin-metal oxide composites are prepared and evaluated comprehensively on their radiological protection ability. BO60%_Epoxy with 60 wt% of Bi2O3 achieves a high Computed Tomography value of 1328, closing to that of lead (1467), resulting from the absorption of X-ray energy through Compton scattering. Economic analysis reveals that the cost of BO60%_Epoxy ($459.5 m-2) is nearly 3.2 times higher than the current price of lead and its outer structural skeleton ($142.3 m-2), which will be lower if we utilized industrial bismuth oxide source. Bismuth and epoxy resin are non-toxic if compared to lead. Therefore, this nanocomposite opens a new avenue of diagnostic X-ray shielding materials.