Composite Cassava Starch/Rhizophora spp particleboards/Zn nanoparticle for phantom applications

This paper presents the fabrication of Cassava Starch/Rhizophora Spp/Zn nanoparticle composite as a phantom for X-ray radiation. The use of phantoms is crucial in controlling the quality of radiation doses in medical applications. The composite materials were synthesized using a sol-gel method, and the structural properties were characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and bonding characteristics by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR). Mechanical testing was performed to assess the physical and mechanical properties of the phantoms. The linear attenuation coefficient and mass attenuation coefficient were determined using CT -Scan and Mobile X-ray tests. The results showed that the composite materials exhibited amorphous characteristics with crystal structure patterns. The addition of Zn nanoparticles affected the diffraction intensity and crystal size. The FTIR analysis revealed the presence of functional groups such as hydroxyl, alkane, siloxane, alkene, and ether bonds in the composite. The synthesized phantom composites showed potential as substitutes for commercial phantoms due to the Cassava starch/Rhizophora spp/Zn 1gr phantom is generally close to the attenuation coefficient value of the human liver phantom reported in previous studies, which is about 0.293 cm -1. This suggests that this phantom composite has a good potential as a substitute for human liver tissue in X-ray testing.