MICROWAVE ABSORPTION AND RADIATION PROTECTIVE PROPERTIES OF ULTRAHIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYETHYLENE FILLED WITH TUNGSTEN, CARBON BLACK, AND BORON NITRIDE

Electromagnetic wave and radiation protection properties of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene-based composite materials obtained by solid state mixing of powder components with subsequent hot pressing have been studied. Electromagnetic wave absorption increases with the carbon black content in samples; however, the presence of other fillers in the composite structure results in a decrease in the electromagnetic wave absorption. The attenuation coefficient of a neutron beam depends mainly on the boron nitride content, but the carbon black content affects the interaction of neutrons with the composite too. The measurements of γ-ray attenuation show that the composites investigated can attenuate effectively the fluxes with energies below ~0.2 MeV only. An increase in the tungsten content leads to an increase in the γ-ray photon attenuation coefficient, whereas an increase in the content of other fillers has no effect on the γ-ray protection properties of composites.