The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Wide-area surface decontamination is essential during the sudden release of radioisotopes to the public, such as nuclear accidents or terrorist attacks. A self-generated hydrogel comprising a reversible complex between poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and boron compouds was developed as a new surface decontamination coating agent to remove radioactive cesium from surfaces. The simultaneous application of PVA and boron compound solutions containing Cs adsorbents  to contaminated surfaces resulted in the spontaneous formation of a boron–diol ester bond-based hydrogel. The Cs adsorbent suspended in the hydrogel selectively removed ¹³⁷Cs from the contaminated surface and was easily separated from the dissociable used hydrogel. This removal was performed by simple water rinsing without costly incineration to remove the organic materials for final disposal/storage of the radioactive waste, making it suitable for practical wide-area surface decontamination.