A Chitosan‐ MTMS ‐Based Aerogel Design for High Effective X‐Ray Shielding

ABSTRACT X‐rays are widely employed in medical diagnostics, nondestructive testing, and aerospace exploration. However, conventional lead‐based protective garments are heavy and rigid, resulting in discomfort and reduced efficiency. To address the need for lightweight, high‐performance shielding, this study prepared a chitosan‐Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) composite aerogel using freeze‐drying. Four high‐atomic‐number fillers (Bi 2 O 3 , WO 3 , Gd 2 O 3 , and BaSO 4 ) were incorporated into its framework to form a three‐dimensional microporous SiOSi network. The material was characterized by SEM, infrared spectroscopy, shielding performance tests, thermogravimetric analysis, and water contact angle measurements. The results demonstrated that the aerogel achieved up to 72% attenuation efficiency at 40 keV, exhibited superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 172.2°, and showed excellent thermal stability in thermogravimetric analysis. These findings confirm the potential of the aerogel for lightweight, high‐efficiency X‐ray protection applications.