Probing the effect of straight chain fatty acids on the properties of lead-containing plexiglass

It was found that, just by adding easily accessible and low-cost straight chain fatty acid additives into the co-polymerization reaction system of lead methacrylate with methyl methacrylate, the optical properties of the produced lead-containing plexiglass could be significantly improved. In comparison with the material free of straight chain fatty acid, the light transmittance could be enhanced obviously from 42.97% to 91.84% at the highest, while the haze value was reduced from 94.83% to only 0.39%. Besides, the as-prepared lead-containing plexiglass was of good toughness and mechanical strength. This work may provide key techniques for the fabrication of γ-ray shielding plexiglasses with good optical properties and comprehensive mechanical properties to meet the requirements for atomic energy facilities. This is a significant progress in the atomic energy industry. The technique has been successfully applied in the large-scale production of 1 m × 1 m × 8.0 mm size plexiglass.