THE POSSIBILITY FOR USING SILICA SOLS TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF RADIOGRAPHIC MATERIALS
The article considers the possibility for using silica sols to improve physical mechanical properties of radiographic materials used for non-destructive testing of products in various industries. These materials are usually processed in automatic devices that reduce the duration of the process and eliminate the influence of the human factor on the final result. Reduction of the processing cycle is achieved by increasing the temperature of the processing solutions, concentrations of active substances, and increasing the drying temperature of the processed material. The toughening of the processing modes requires an increase in the physical and mechanical properties of the emulsion and protective layers. Silica sols were used to improve the physical and mechanical properties. Colloidal silicas are aqueous dispersions of very small particles of silicon dioxide in the nanometer size range. They have a dense silica core and a surface covered with silanol (Si-OH) groups. Due to the small particle size and large surface area, these silanol groups have an effective ability to interact with a polymer substrate, a filler made of metal salts, as well as with polymer and latex binders. These interactions lead to strong binding to various substrates, which gives higher strength and durability. The dependence of physical mechanical properties of the composite emulsion layer of a radiographic film on the silica content is studied. As a result of research, it was found that the introduction of silica sols can significantly increase the mechanical strength of the layer, reduce water absorption, and increase the melting point. The most effective gain in these properties is observed when using monodisperse silica of the Ludox AM-30 brand.