Barium sulphate–amorphous cellulose composite as innovative X-ray shielding substrate

This study aimed to produce a composite of barium sulphate and amorphous cellulose (Ba/AC) as a substrate for X-ray attenuation. Ba/AC was fabricated by converting the crystalline structure of eucalyptus pulp into an amorphous one. Subsequently, amorphous cellulose was regenerated using barium compounds (barium chloride and barium sulphate suspension) to obtain Ba/AC specimens (Ba/AC–BaCl2 and Ba/AC–BaSO4, respectively). All substrates were characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. X-ray attenuation was studied by mixing 20% w/w Ba/AC and 80% w/w silicone rubber, coating the mixture on cotton fabrics, and comparing to barium sulphate powder (BaSO4), a conventional material. The coated fabrics were exposed to X-rays at tube voltages of 30 kV, 40 kV, and 60 kV. The fabrics coated with Ba/AC presented higher X-ray shielding efficiencies than those with BaSO4. Owing to the important role of amorphous cellulose in Ba/AC in distributing barium sulphate particles, more voids on the fabric surfaces were reduced than when using BaSO4. Moreover, the Ba/AC substrate preparation did not require a complex procedure and did not employ analytical-grade chemicals. Thus, a Ba/AC composite could be used as a substrate for X-ray shielding materials, owing to benefits of environmental-friendliness, nontoxicity, cost-effectiveness, and possibility of scaling up for commercial purposes.