Investigation on Photon Interaction Properties of Some Polymers Used in Production of Hydrogels

Due to their excellent features and applications, hydrogels become so popular and are used for fabricating contact lenses, cancer treatment, hygiene products, tissue engineering, drug and delivery systems. Simultaneously use of hydrogels with radiotherapy is known to be effective in protecting the healthy cells from high radiation. From this point on, it is necessary to know radiation attenuation properties of compounds used in production of hydrogel. In the present study, half value layer (HVL), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Nel) and energy absorption and exposure buildup factors (EABF and EBF) of eight hydrogel samples (hyaluronic acid, chitosan, fibrin, dextran sulfate, pectin, alginic acid, chondroitin sulfate and carrageenan) have investigated. From the obtained results, these parameters depend on the elemental composition of the samples. It is seen that dextran sulfate has most superior radiation absorption capacity while fibrin has the lowest when compared to other samples.