Students from a military high school in Turkey produce a radiation-proof fabric and aircraft glass by using boron.
A group of senior year students from Işıklar Military Air High School in Bursa province developed a protective fabric that shields from radiation.
In 2013,Tahsin Elmas, a senior student of the military school, along with his two other friends, Seyit Alp Herdem and Yaşar Harun Kıvrıl, started a project under the title of the “Sodium Pentaborate a National Shield”, to produce radiation-proof garments.
“We examined protective clothing using in Turkey against the chemical, biological and radioactive attacks, while working on the selection of the project, and were informed that Turkey imported this clothing.”
According to the students’ statements they developed a protective garment that shields users from alpha and beta radiation, gamma rays, x-rays, and other nuclear emissions.
“The experiment demonstrates a 75 percent reduction rate of exposure to radiation,” Tahsin Elmas said.
He said that they synthesize sodium pentaborate, a specific boron derivative, which recorded the first synthesizing within Turkey.
Elmas stated that this would be Turkey’s first nuclear radiation-blocking, anti-chemical and biological-protection fabric.
The standard radiation shielding uses lead, which is heavy, cumbersome, and toxic.
“This will be flexible, cool, and lightweight,” Elmas said.
“The new garment can be used at hospitals, nuclear plants, university laboratories and military fields to protect against radiation and nuclear attacks,” he added.
The students also created a new type of radiation-proof canopy glass for aircrafts.
Elmas said that with this project they aimed to protect the combat pilots who faced radiation during high-altitude flights and added, “The new canopy glasses prevented about 49 percent of radiation.”
Turkey spends millions of dollars to import military dresses to protect against chemical, biological and radioactive attacks. The student hopes that their new invention will help Turkey in this regard.
The project was awarded as the best project in the chemical category of the Inter-school Project Competition organized by the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council, or TUBITAK.
The project will represent Turkey at the “International high School Project Competition”, which will be held in the United States during May 2015.
