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Making Bikers Safe from Neutrons: Gadolinium Impregnated Leather.
I'm not kind to spend much time on this one, but it struck my funny bone, this paper:
High-Efficiency, Wearable Neutron-Shielding Composites Fabricated via Atomic-Scale Dispersion of Gadolinium into Natural Leather Jibo Zhou, Hao Li, Chun Wen, Yaping Wang, Xuepin Liao, and Bi Shi Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2025 64 (18), 9187-9198
1. Introduction
The use of neutrons in various sectors, including nuclear energy, healthcare, and scientific research, considerably promotes the development of modern science and technology. (1,2) However, the risk of neutron radiation has also increased with exposure to neutron environments. Neutrons, being neutral particles with high energy, can easily penetrate human tissues, causing various DNA lesions, potentially causing diseases such as cataracts, cardiovascular ailments, cancer, and in extreme instances, fatality. (3) Consequently, advanced wearable shielding materials are imperative for safeguarding individuals from the mortal danger of neutron radiation. (4)
For wearable neutron-shielding materials, recent studies have focused on developing polymer-based composites, typically fabricated by physically blending hydrogen-rich polymeric matrices (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, epoxy resin, and rubber) with functional fillers (B4C nanoparticles). (5−8) However, the incompatibility between polymeric matrices and fillers often causes the agglomeration of filler and composite defects, thereby substantially decreasing their shielding ability. (9−11) Moreover, boron compounds absorb neutrons via the 10B(n,alpha)7Li reaction, which is inevitably associated with helium bubble formation. (12) These bubbles accumulate within the polymers, cause volumetric swelling, and ultimately destroy the polymers, leading to reduced shielding ability. (13) In addition, the mechanical strength of the polymers decreases rapidly under the radiation of neutrons due to the breaking of chemical bonds. Therefore, the development of wearable neutron-shielding materials with high efficiency and mechanical strength remains challenging.
Natural leather (NL), a traditional wearable matrix obtained from animal skin, features a hierarchical structure comprising collagen molecules that are progressively assembled into microfibrils, fibrils, and fibers, endowing it with a three-dimensional woven structure and porous nature. (14) In addition, NL consists of –NH2, –COOH, and –OH groups, capable of triggering several chemical reactions. (15,16) These advantages make NL a suitable candidate matrix for preparing neutron-shielding materials. (17) Our previous work successfully incorporated B4C nanoparticles into NL to fabricate an advanced, 2 mm-thick leather-based neutron-shielding composite with high neutron-shielding efficiency (up to 96.93%) without the helium bubble problem. (18) Nevertheless, the size of B4C nanoparticles is considerably large compared to that of a single B4C molecule, while the absorption cross section of boron is only 780 barns, making realization of the high performance difficult for future neutron-shielding materials. (19)
Gadolinium (Gd), with its highest thermal neutron absorption cross section at 48,800 barns, has recently garnered remarkable interest in neutron-shielding material research. (20−22) Its huge neutron capture cross sections can markedly reduce the number of neutron absorbers required, thus substantially reducing the weight of neutron-shielding materials. Moreover, the neutron-shielding efficiency of composite materials increases with a homogeneous distribution of functional particles (B4C or Gd2O3), typically achieved by reducing their size. (23) However, the reduction in the size of B4C or Gd2O3 is eventually limited to tens or hundreds of nanometers, and these nanoparticles reagglomerate in the polymer matrix. If Gd can ideally be incorporated into the matrix at the atomic scale, its neutron capture ability could be fully displayed...
The use of neutrons in various sectors, including nuclear energy, healthcare, and scientific research, considerably promotes the development of modern science and technology. (1,2) However, the risk of neutron radiation has also increased with exposure to neutron environments. Neutrons, being neutral particles with high energy, can easily penetrate human tissues, causing various DNA lesions, potentially causing diseases such as cataracts, cardiovascular ailments, cancer, and in extreme instances, fatality. (3) Consequently, advanced wearable shielding materials are imperative for safeguarding individuals from the mortal danger of neutron radiation. (4)
For wearable neutron-shielding materials, recent studies have focused on developing polymer-based composites, typically fabricated by physically blending hydrogen-rich polymeric matrices (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, epoxy resin, and rubber) with functional fillers (B4C nanoparticles). (5−8) However, the incompatibility between polymeric matrices and fillers often causes the agglomeration of filler and composite defects, thereby substantially decreasing their shielding ability. (9−11) Moreover, boron compounds absorb neutrons via the 10B(n,alpha)7Li reaction, which is inevitably associated with helium bubble formation. (12) These bubbles accumulate within the polymers, cause volumetric swelling, and ultimately destroy the polymers, leading to reduced shielding ability. (13) In addition, the mechanical strength of the polymers decreases rapidly under the radiation of neutrons due to the breaking of chemical bonds. Therefore, the development of wearable neutron-shielding materials with high efficiency and mechanical strength remains challenging.
Natural leather (NL), a traditional wearable matrix obtained from animal skin, features a hierarchical structure comprising collagen molecules that are progressively assembled into microfibrils, fibrils, and fibers, endowing it with a three-dimensional woven structure and porous nature. (14) In addition, NL consists of –NH2, –COOH, and –OH groups, capable of triggering several chemical reactions. (15,16) These advantages make NL a suitable candidate matrix for preparing neutron-shielding materials. (17) Our previous work successfully incorporated B4C nanoparticles into NL to fabricate an advanced, 2 mm-thick leather-based neutron-shielding composite with high neutron-shielding efficiency (up to 96.93%) without the helium bubble problem. (18) Nevertheless, the size of B4C nanoparticles is considerably large compared to that of a single B4C molecule, while the absorption cross section of boron is only 780 barns, making realization of the high performance difficult for future neutron-shielding materials. (19)
Gadolinium (Gd), with its highest thermal neutron absorption cross section at 48,800 barns, has recently garnered remarkable interest in neutron-shielding material research. (20−22) Its huge neutron capture cross sections can markedly reduce the number of neutron absorbers required, thus substantially reducing the weight of neutron-shielding materials. Moreover, the neutron-shielding efficiency of composite materials increases with a homogeneous distribution of functional particles (B4C or Gd2O3), typically achieved by reducing their size. (23) However, the reduction in the size of B4C or Gd2O3 is eventually limited to tens or hundreds of nanometers, and these nanoparticles reagglomerate in the polymer matrix. If Gd can ideally be incorporated into the matrix at the atomic scale, its neutron capture ability could be fully displayed...
OK then. Whatever. This wasn't a prominent concern to my mind, but OK, I get it.