Material Characterization of Digadolinium Trioxide Infused Conformal Coat for Use as Radiation Shielding

The development of smaller nuclear technologies such as SMRs and an increased demand in space grade technologies due to the commercialization of space exploration demands new methods of compact shielding. A metal oxide infused conformal coat (MOICC) is being developed using gadolinium oxide as a material for radiation shielding. This shielding has potential for application in various aspects of industry, such as negating the need for radiation hardened (rad-hard) electronic components by allowing customers to opt for a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) part for a lower relative cost if externally shielded. The purpose of this project is to characterize various material properties for this novel shielding, specifically thermal conductivity, with an attempt to measure thermal expansion and electric resistivity. Results showed a promising increase in thermal conductivity with no measurable change in thermal expansion or electric resistivity using available equipment. Thermal conductivity saw an increase of up to 0.242 W/m-k using 50% metal oxide by mass. Electric resistivity was found to be at least 2 mega-ohms using a 2 mega-ohm rates multimeter. The method used for measuring thermal expansion was inadequate to develop meaningful values, though the theoretical bounds using the rule of mixtures is still reported. This report outlines the testing procedures and overall results for this material.