A domestic research team has developed a flexible composite material-based sensor that can withstand radiation, raising expectations that it will be used in extreme environments such as nuclear power plants or as a replacement for heavy lead protective materials.

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 2nd that it has developed a radiation-resistant pressure-temperature composite sensor based on a composite material combining graphene, MXene, and polymer resin (Ecoflex).

The sensor developed by ETRI can measure both pressure and temperature without undergoing any physical or chemical changes even when exposed to high-energy radiation.

The research team also successfully demonstrated the excellence of the developed sensor by testing its performance at the Advanced Radiation Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute located in Jeongeup.

In the experiment, the material was tested with radiation levels that would be fatal if exposed to a human.

The research team confirmed that there was no change or abnormality in the material even when exposed to 20 kGy of gamma rays from cobalt-60 for a full 24 hours.

The developed sensor is in the form of a flexible film and has a low weight. It is lightweight, can be manufactured over a wide area, and can be made in various shapes.

Thanks to this, it is expected that it will be possible to replace the heavy lead protective clothing used in radiation exposure areas such as nuclear power plants and hospitals by making it into a garment.

It can also be used as a sensor to detect objects.

Through experiments, the research team also confirmed that the sensor's sensitivity was high enough to detect differences in lifting force depending on weight, differences in gripping pressure depending on hardness, and differences in liquid temperature.

Thanks to this, it can be applied to prosthetic limbs as well as robots that perform work in extreme environments with high radiation exposure that humans cannot enter.

The developed material not only blocks radiation but also has excellent high-frequency electromagnetic wave shielding effects, making it highly useful in electronic devices for 5G communications, radar systems for autonomous vehicles, and the aerospace industry.

It is expected to be widely used in home appliances, industrial electronic devices such as medical and defense equipment, electronic components and sensors used in extreme environments, and smart electronic devices.

The research team stated that they were able to develop the sensor based on the technological know-how related to two-dimensional composite materials that they have accumulated over a long period of time.

In particular, he said that the technological prowess to manufacture and combine suitable materials played a key role in achieving this result.

Dr. Choi Chun-ki of the Nanoelectronic Devices Laboratory at ETRI said, “We hope that this technology’s excellent shielding performance will be of great help in making work safe and convenient in environments with high exposure to radiation or electromagnetic waves, or in making it easier to operate electronic devices.”

This study was conducted with support from the Atomic Energy Research and Development Project of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The technology developed by the research team is currently in the process of being patented in Korea and the United States.

This technology is so well-developed that it can be immediately transferred to material and sensor companies, and the research team believes that commercialization of related products is possible within two years.