Abstract:
The article presents the results of a study of polymer composite materials based on high-pressure polyethylene Ñ$_n$H$_{2n+2}$, boron carbide B$_4$C and titanium hydride TiH$_2$ for protection against the effects of neutrons and $\gamma$-quanta. The article presents a technology for manufacturing materials with the following composition: Ñ$_n$H$_{2n+2}$ – 40% wt., B$_4$C – 5% wt., TiH$_2$ – 55% wt. (PCM-TiH$_2$-B$_4$C) and Ñ$_n$H$_{2n+2}$ – 95% wt., B$_4$C – 5% wt. (PCM-B$_4$C). The flexural strength of PCM-TiH$_2$-B$_4$C is 12.5 MPa, and that of PCM-B$_4$C is 4.8 MPa. The structure of the materials is considered and described using electron microscopy, and flaw detection is carried out to assess the quality of the resulting composites and remove defective samples. The interaction of ionizing radiation with materials was simulated using the XCOM 3.1 program. The neutron flux attenuation coefficient was determined experimentally: at an energy of 2 MeV for PCM-B$_4$C it has a value of 73.3 cm$^{-1}$, and for PCM-B$_4$C-TiH$_2$ its value is 128.5 cm$^{-1}$. The $\gamma$-quanta flux attenuation coefficient, established experimentally, was estimated: at an energy of 2.5 MeV for PCM-B$_4$C this coefficient has a value of 10.3 cm$^{-1}$, and for PCM-B$_4$C-TiH$_2$ it is 19.22 cm$^{-1}$.
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