Radiation detection and imaging fabric and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of flexible radiation detection, and discloses a fabric for radiation detection and imaging and a preparation method thereof. Method: Scintillator material and thermoplastic elastomer particles are mixed and prepared into a fiber shape or a fiber mesh shape, and then the fibers are woven into a fabric or the fibers are prepared into a non-woven fabric, thereby obtaining a flexible material with radiation detection and imaging functions, namely, a radiation detection and imaging fabric; the thermoplastic elastomer particles are one or more of SEBS, COCE, and PP; the scintillator material is one or more of Gd2O2S:Tb, ZnS:Cu, and Gd2O2S:Ce. The method of the present invention is simple, and the prepared fabric has excellent radiation detection and X-ray imaging functions and is easy to prepare in batches. The fabric of the present invention has broad application prospects in the fields of radiation detection and protection, flexible X-ray imaging, etc.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of advanced functional fibers and fabric preparation, and in particular relates to a fabric for radiation detection and imaging and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] High-energy radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays, has a wide range of applications in medical diagnosis and imaging, radiotherapy, industrial inspection, security checks, and the nuclear industry. Detecting and studying these radiation requires radiation detectors. Traditional radiation detectors primarily include semiconductor detectors and scintillator detectors. Semiconductors can directly convert radiation into electrical signals. Common semiconductor detection materials include amorphous selenium (Se), amorphous silicon (Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), thallium bromide (T1Br), and cadmium zinc telluride (Cd(Zn)Te). Scintillators convert high-energy radiation into visible light, which is then converted to electrical signals through photoelectric conversion after passing through a photomultiplier tube. Common scintillators can be divided into two categories: organic and inorganic. Organic scintillators have a low density, resulting in weak absorption of high-energy radiation, limiting their development. A wide variety of inorganic scintillators exist to meet diverse applications. Common inorganic scintillators include scintillating crystals, scintillating glass, and scintillating ceramics. Currently, inorganic scintillators are widely used in radiation detection. For example, Zhou's research group at South China University of Technology has developed a series of rare earth ion-doped scintillating glasses and glass-ceramics (such as Eu-doped silicate glass-ceramics and Tb-doped tungstate glass-ceramics), transparent scintillating ceramics (such as TeO2-Bi2O3-Nb2O5 and BaO-Al2O3-LaF3-SiO2), and scintillating optical fibers (such as Ce-doped Lu2SiO5 glass fiber), achieving efficient and highly sensitive radiation detection. In recent years, perovskite materials have been widely used in radiation detection and imaging due to their strong resistivity, defect tolerance, large mobility lifetime, tunable band gap, and simple single crystal growth. For example, in 2019, Yang's research group at Zhejiang University reported a semiconductor material (NH4)3Bi2I9 with a perovskite-like structure (Zhuang R, Wang X, Ma W, et al. Highly sensitive X-ray detector made of layered perovskite-like (NH4)3Bi2I9 single crystal with anisotropic response [J]. Nature Photonics, 2019, 13(9): 602-608.). This material has high radiation absorption efficiency and carrier collection efficiency, and can achieve high-resolution imaging.In 2017, the Tang group of Huazhong University of Science and Technology reported a lead-free perovskite single crystal (Cs2AgBiBr6) X-ray detector (Pan W, Wu H, Luo J, et al. Cs2AgBiBr6 single-crystal X-ray detectors with a low detection limit [J]. Nature Photonics, 2017, 11 (11): 726-732.), which can detect low-dose X-rays and reduce radiation damage to the human body. In 2018, the Huang group of Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Liu group of the National University of Singapore jointly reported an all-inorganic perovskite nanocrystal (Chen Q, Wu J, Ou X, et al. All-inorganic perovskite nanocrystal scintillators [J]. Nature, 2018, 561 (7721): 88-93.), which has important application prospects in X-ray detection and imaging.

[0003] At present, although various types of radiation detectors have been widely developed, most devices are rigid and difficult to be compatible with flexible electronic devices. The development of flexible radiation detectors is urgent.

[0004] The present invention prepares flexible radiation detection and imaging fibers and fabrics by combining scintillators and thermoplastic elastomers through two methods (i.e., hot drawing and melt spinning). The prepared fibers and fabrics have excellent radiation detection and imaging functions and are easy to prepare in batches. The obtained radiation detection fabrics have broad application prospects in the fields of radiation detection and protection, flexible X-ray imaging, and medical monitoring. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a radiation detection and imaging fabric and a method for preparing the same. The present invention has a simple and easy-to-implement manufacturing process, and the resulting flexible fabric exhibits excellent radiation detection and imaging capabilities and can be mass-produced.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A method for preparing a radiation detection and imaging fabric comprises the following steps: mixing a scintillator material with thermoplastic elastomer particles and preparing the mixture into a fiber or fiber mesh shape; then weaving the fibers into a fabric or preparing the fiber mesh into a non-woven fabric, thereby obtaining a flexible material having radiation detection and imaging functions, namely, the radiation detection and imaging fabric.

[0008] The method specifically includes a hot drawing method and a melt spinning method.

[0009] The steps of the hot drawing method are as follows: mixing the scintillator material with thermoplastic elastomer particles, hot pressing and forming, hot drawing to obtain fibers, and then weaving the fibers into fabrics.

[0010] The melt spinning method comprises the following steps: (1) mixing the scintillator material with thermoplastic elastomer particles, placing the mixture in an extruder for melt spinning, and obtaining fibers or non-woven fabrics.

[0011] Specifically, (1) the scintillator material is mixed with thermoplastic elastomer particles and placed in an extruder for melting to obtain a polymer melt; (2) the polymer melt is extruded through a spinneret and then cooled to obtain fibers; or the polymer melt is extruded through a spinneret and then spun indoors, and after weaving and rolling steps, a non-woven fabric is obtained.

[0012] The thermoplastic elastomer particles are one or more of SEBS, COCE (cycloolefin copolymer elastomer), and PP;

[0013] The scintillator material is one or more of Gd2O2S:Tb, ZnS:Cu, and Gd2O2S:Ce.

[0014] In the hot-drawing method, the mass ratio of the scintillator material to the thermoplastic elastomer particles is 1:100 to 70:100, the temperature of the hot pressing molding is 140 to 220° C., the temperature of the hot drawing is 230 to 290° C., and the diameter of the obtained fiber is greater than 50 μm.

[0015] In the melt spinning method, the mass ratio of the scintillator material to the elastomer particles is 1:100 to 10:100, the temperature in the extruder is 230 to 260° C., the mass flow rate is 10 to 30 g / min, and the pressure is 3 to 6 MPa;

[0016] In the melt spinning method, the cooling temperature during fiber preparation is 10-30°C, the relative humidity is 65%-90%, and the drawing speed is 80-100 m / min; when making non-woven fabric, the drawing speed is 200-400 m / min; the diameter of the obtained fiber is 50-500 μm.

[0017] The radiation detection and imaging fabric is used in the fields of flexible radiation detection, X-ray flexible imaging, etc.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0019] (1) The present invention is the first to combine scintillator materials with elastomeric fibers and fabrics to obtain radiation detection fibers and fabrics that are both flexible and elastic, and to achieve wearable radiation detection and flexible X-ray imaging.

[0020] (2) The radiation detection fibers and fabrics of the present invention can be prepared in large quantities, and the preparation process is short, the process is simple, the cost is low, and there is no environmental pollution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 The fabric (A) prepared in Example 1 and its X-ray detection images under bright field (B) and dark field (C) conditions; the radiation source used is a low-dose X-ray tube;

[0022] Figure 2 This is an X-ray image of the elastic fabric prepared in Example 1 (B), and the imaging sample used is an electric vehicle smart key (A);

[0023] Figure 3 The nonwoven fabric (A) prepared in Example 2 and its X-ray detection images under bright field (B) and dark field (C) conditions;

[0024] Figure 4 This is an X-ray image of the non-woven fabric prepared in Example 2 (B), and the imaging sample used is an electric vehicle smart key (A). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the examples, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0026] Example 1

[0027] (1) First, 42 g of Gd2O2S:Tb powder (the Tb doping amount in the scintillating material of this embodiment is 1 mol%) and 18 g of SEBS particles (manufacturer: Kraton; model G1657) were weighed and uniformly mixed. The powder and SEBS particles were then melt-mixed in an internal mixer at 160°C for 10 min. The mixture was then hot-pressed in a hot press (180°C, 10 MPa) into a square preform.

[0028] (2) The preform prepared in step (1) is fixed on a fiber drawing tower, drawn into fibers at 260° C., and then the obtained fibers are woven into fabrics to obtain radiation detection fibers and fabrics.

[0029] Figure 1 The fabric prepared in Example 1 (A) and its X-ray detection images under bright field (B) and dark field (C) conditions.

[0030] Figure 2 This is an X-ray image of the elastic fabric prepared in Example 1 (B), and the imaging sample used is an electric vehicle smart key (A) (the elastic fabric is wrapped around the surface of the imaging sample).

[0031] Example 2

[0032] (1) First, weigh 100 g of Gd2O2S:Tb powder (the Tb doping amount in the scintillating material of this embodiment is 1 mol%) and 4900 g of SEBS particles (manufacturer: Kraton; model G1657) and mix them evenly;

[0033] (2) melting and pressurizing the mixture using a single screw extruder with a diameter of 25 mm, an aspect ratio of 30, and a four-zone control system, wherein the screw extrusion temperature is 240°C, the mass flow rate is 25 g / min, and the pressure is 4.5 MPa to obtain a polymer melt;

[0034] (3) The polymer melt was extruded through a 60-hole spinneret (0.5 mm diameter per hole), cooled in a cooling system at 20°C and 70% relative humidity, and rolled onto a roller at a speed of 100 m / min to obtain multifilaments;

[0035] (4) Alternatively, the polymer melt is extruded through a spinneret, and then spun in a room at an air temperature of 30° C. and a speed of 300 m / min, and a non-woven fabric is prepared through weaving and rolling steps.

[0036] Figure 3 The non-woven fabric (A) prepared in Example 2 and its X-ray detection images under bright field (B) and dark field (C) conditions.

[0037] Figure 4 This is an X-ray imaging image (B) of the non-woven fabric prepared in Example 2. The imaging sample used is an electric vehicle smart key (A) (elastic fabric is wrapped around the surface of the imaging sample).

Claims

1. A method for preparing a fabric for radiation detection and imaging, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The scintillator material is mixed with thermoplastic elastomer particles and prepared into a fiber shape or a fiber mesh shape, and then the fibers are woven into a fabric or the fiber mesh is prepared into a non-woven fabric, thereby obtaining a flexible material with radiation detection and imaging functions, namely, a radiation detection and imaging fabric; The thermoplastic elastomer particles are one or more of SEBS and COCE; The scintillator material is one or more of Gd2O2S: Tb, ZnS: Cu, and Gd2O2S: Ce; The method specifically includes a hot drawing method and a melt spinning method; The steps of the thermal drawing method are as follows: mixing the scintillator material with thermoplastic elastomer particles, hot pressing and forming, hot drawing to obtain fibers, and then weaving the fibers into fabrics; In the hot-drawing method, the mass ratio of the scintillator material to the thermoplastic elastomer particles is 1:100 to 70:100, the temperature for hot pressing is 140 to 220°C, and the temperature for hot drawing is 230 to 290°C. The diameter of the obtained fiber is above 50 μm. The specific steps of the melt spinning method are as follows: (1) mixing the scintillator material with the thermoplastic elastomer particles and placing them in an extruder for melting to obtain a polymer melt; (2) extruding the polymer melt through a spinneret and then cooling it to obtain fibers; or extruding the polymer melt through a spinneret and then drawing the fibers indoors, and then undergoing weaving and rolling steps to obtain a non-woven fabric; in the melt spinning method, the mass ratio of the scintillator material to the elastomer particles is 1:100~10:100, the temperature in the extruder is 230~260℃, the mass flow rate is 10~30 g / min, and the pressure is 3~6 MPa; the fiber cooling temperature is 10~30℃, the relative humidity is 65%~90%, and the drawing speed is 80~100m / min; when making non-woven fabric, the drawing speed is 200~400m / min; the diameter of the obtained fiber is 50~500μm.

2. A radiation detection and imaging fabric obtained by the preparation method according to claim 1.

3. The use of the radiation detection and imaging fabric according to claim 2, characterized in that: The radiation detection and imaging fabric is used in the fields of flexible radiation detection and flexible X-ray imaging.

Images