Preparation of Nano-PbWO₄ Particles by Polymaleic Acid Modification: A Highly Filled Nonwoven Membrane Used To Improve the Wearing Comfort and Radiation Safety of γ-ray Protection Products

Abstract

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an important wearable device for people exposed to radiation because of its comfort and safety. Unfortunately, ordinary PbWO 4 (PWO) particles cannot uniformly prepare highly filled composites; therefore, we prepared PWO@PMA nanoparticles by a simple precipitation method using polymaleic acid (PMA). Then, a highly filled PWO@PMA/PVA nonwoven membrane is obtained by solution mixing and electrospinning. In the PWO@PMA/PVA nonwoven membrane, PWO@PMA is evenly dispersed and has good compatibility with the PVA interface. All nonwoven membranes prepared by the stable electrospinning method have ideal mechanical properties. Importantly, the prepared PWO@ PMA/PVA nonwoven membrane can not only shield γ-rays but also has good air permeability. The 70 wt % PWO@PMA/PVA nonwoven membrane has a γ-ray shielding rate of 42.16% (105 keV) and an air permeability of 17.1 mm/s. This study provides a practical and effective method for the production of nonwoven membranes with high polymer content and provides a promising opportunity to enhance the wearing comfort of PPE.