Article

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Title

Polymer materials modified with boron carbide B₄C and mechanocomposite B₄C/W for radiation protection in spacecraft

Authors

¹P.A. Vityaz, ¹S.A. Kovaleva, ¹V.I. Zhornik, ¹M.A. Belotserkovskii, ²A.D. Dubinchuk, ³T.F. Grigoreva, ³N.Z. Lyakhov

Organizations

¹The Joint Institute of Mechanical Engineering NAS of Belarus
Minsk, Belarus
²Belarusian State University
Minsk, Belarus
³Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry SB RAS
Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

Abstract

Composites based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, modified by nanoparticles of boron carbide B₄C and composite B₄C/W, for protection materials against fast and slow (thermal) neutrons and γ-radiation, are formed by mechanochemical synthesis in a high-energy planetary ball mill. Their phase composition and microstructural characteristics were studied by X-ray phase analysis (D8 Advance diffractometer, Bruker), electron microscopy (scanning electron microscope CamScan 4) and infrared Fourier spectroscopy (Fourier spectrometer Nikolet iS10). The joint mechanical treatment of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and boron carbide B₄C powders in the planetary ball mill leads to the formation of polymer composite particles of scaly shape with random distribution of boron carbide particles in them and nanocrystalline iron evenly distributed in the polymer matrix in an amount of ~ 9 wt. %. In addition, the structure of boron carbide with a lower carbon content (B_6.5C) is formed, and there is a break in the molecular chains of polyethylene and its amorphization. The combined processing of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and mechanocomposite B₄C/W in a planetary ball mill leads to the formation of polymer composite particles of flake shape with a uniform distribution of boron and tungsten carbide particles in the polymer matrix. Parameters of fine structure of boron carbide B₄C are changed. As a result of the interaction between the polymer matrix and the dispersed powders of the modifier, cross-linked structures are formed and the polymer is destroyed with a decrease in its molecular weight.

Keywords

ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, boron carbide B₄C, composite B₄C/W, X-ray analysis, electron microscopy, infrared Fourier spectroscopy

References

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For citing this article

Vityaz P.A., Kovaleva S.A., Zhornik V.I., Belotserkovskii M.A., Dubinchuk A.D., Grigoreva T.F., Lyakhov N.Z. Polymer materials modified with boron carbide B₄C and mechanocomposite B₄C/W for radiation protection in spacecraft // Spacecrafts & Technologies, 2018, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 204-211. doi: 10.26732/2618-7957-2018-4-204-211

This Article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).