Effects of the particle sizes and concentrations on the X-ray absorption by CuO compounds

This work presents a study on the effects of the particle size, material concentration and radiation energy on the X-ray absorption. CuO nanoparticles and microparticles were incorporated separately into a polymeric resin in concentrations of 5%, 10% and 30% relative to the resin mass. X-ray absorption by these materials was analyzed with a CdTe detector. The X-ray absorption is higher for the nanostructured material compared to the microstructured one for low energy X-ray beams for all CuO concentrations.

► CuO powder in the microstructured and nanostructured forms were incorporated into an epoxy resin. ► Material samples were produced with 5%, 10% and 30% CuO relative to the resin mass. ► X-ray absorption was evaluated by measuring the transmitted X-ray spectra through the samples. ► Attenuation was evaluated for several material thicknesses and incident X-ray beams' energy. ► CuO nanomaterials absorb more low energy photons in comparison to the microstructured ones.