– on the one hand, they are important for applications in the aerospace sector both for the protection of biological systems and for the type of advanced manufacturing processes compatible with microgravity;

– on the other, they are immediately usable in the clinical setting to optimize the particle accelerators for radiotherapy already on the market and / or new generation models.

The rationale of the project involves the development of protective devices in operating environments through shielding supports that are flexible, wearable, conformable, workable, modular and – of course – able to attenuate the radiation at least as much as the current systems in use.

Activities include the design, construction and characterization of polymer matrix composite structures loaded with different percentages of tungsten powder. For this purpose, 3D printing is used, in particular fused deposition modeling (FDM), which allows the production of devices with complex and optimized geometry according to the project specifications. The technological solutions that will be developed will be validated through in vitro (cell assays) and in vivo (animal model) experiments. Furthermore, protective screens will be produced that can be used directly on new radiotherapy equipment, in order to promote a real impact of research products.

(Grant € 311,584 – Expense € 436,142.40).