In this study, transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) copolymers containing gadolinium (Gd) were prepared through copolymerization of gadolinium methacrylate Gd(MAA)3 and methyl methacrylate. The neutron and gamma-ray shielding properties of the copolymers were evaluated using a 252Cf neutron source and a 241Am gamma source. The shielding performance of the copolymers against moderated 252Cf neutrons (12-cm-thick polyethylene was used as the moderator) improved with increasing Gd(MAA)3 content. However, when the Gd(MAA)3 content exceeded 10%, the enhancement in neutron shielding was negligible. The macroscopic thermal neutron absorption cross section of the copolymer containing 10% Gd(MAA)3 was 0.79 cm−1. The copolymers’ shielding against gamma rays improved with increasing Gd(MAA)3 content, and a linear attenuation coefficient was 2.10 cm−1 for the copolymer containing 30% Gd(MAA)3. The incorporation of Gd into PMMA effectively enhanced the material’s ability to shield against both thermal neutrons and gamma rays and did not negatively affect its visible-light transmittance. In addition, as the content of Gd(MAA)3 increased, the thermal stability of gadolinium-containing PMMA increased, while its tensile strength decreased. The copolymers with 30% Gd(MAA)3 retained approximately 67% residue at 500 °C, whereas its tensile strength dropped from 67 to 9 MPa. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of transparent equipment for protection against neutron and gamma radiation.
Xie et al. (Fri,) studied this question.