RARE EARTH ELEMENTS OXIDES NANOPARTICLES FOR IONIZING RADIATION ATTENUATION

Following up on a previous research, the aim of the work is to further investigate the possibility of using rare earth elements compounds in polymer matrix for ionizing radiation attenuation. Having proven the effectivity, the focus is primarily on the proper preparation and characterization of the materials and the effect on the stability of polymer solution and it's suitability for needleless electrospinning. The investigated materials in this case were the oxides of lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, gadolinium, holmium, erbium, thulium and lutetium. The methods of characterization used were solution conductivity measurement, x-ray fluorescence analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and sedimentation time measurement in combination with Tyndall's effect.