Influences of Modified Sm(2)O(3) on Thermal Stability, Mechanical and Neutron Shielding Properties of Aminophenol Trifunctional Epoxy Resin

The requirements regarding the weight and capacity reduction of neutron shielding materials have become an urgent issue for advanced nuclear facilities and plants. An epoxy-based neutron shielding material with high-temperature stability and good neutron irradiation resistance was designed in this paper to solve the above issue. Aminophenol trifunctional epoxy resin (AFG-90H) was compounded with samarium oxide (Sm(2)O(3)) by means of an ultrasonic-assisted method and the compatibility of Sm(2)O(3) with the AFG-90H matrix was improved by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) surface modification. Fabricated Sm(2)O(3)-APTES/AFG-90H composites exhibited improved thermal stability, glass transition temperature and Young’s modulus with increased Sm(2)O(3)-APTES content. Neutronics calculation results show that the neutron permeability of 2 mm-thick 30 wt% Sm(2)O(3)-APTES/AFG-90H was 98.9% higher than that of the AFG-90H matrix under the irradiation of the thermal neutron source. The results show that the proper addition range of Sm(2)O(3)-APTES is between 20% and 25%. The Sm(2)O(3)-APTES/AFG-90H composite is a promising neutron shielding material for advanced nuclear system.