Novel boron fiber composites for radiation shielding

Future space systems developed under NASA space initiative need to address the issue of radiation protection in conjunction with structural requirements. State-of-the-art (SOTA) technologies such as boron filled polymers are greatly limited in terms of modulus and strength. The addition of boron powder to the polymeric matrix can increase the modulus according to the rule of mixtures (limited by the volume fraction of powder). However, a minimum strengthening of the polymeric matrix is achieved. The use of boron fiber reinforced polymer composites offers an excellent potential in this area. The use of composite materials depending on the load transfer coefficient can utilize up to 50% of the fiber strength. Thus a composite strength in excess of 1 GPa can be attained (compared to just a few ksi for the polymer matrix). The fundamental problem is the lack of a boron fiber in the tow form. A novel technology was developed to address this issue