Nuclear energy provides enduring power to space vehicles, but special attention should be paid to radiation shielding during the development and use of nuclear energy systems. In this paper, novel composite materials containing poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) as a substrate and different tungsten contents as a reinforcing agent were developed and tested as shielding for gamma-ray radiation. Shielding test bodies were quickly processed by fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, and their mechanical, shielding properties of composite materials were evaluated. The results revealed shielding materials with excellent mechanical properties which can further be improved by heat treatment. Under 0.45 MPa load, the heat deflection temperature of PEEK/tungsten (metal) composites was significantly lower than that of PEEK/boron carbide (non-metal) composites. The new shielding materials also demonstrated better shielding of low-energy ¹³⁷Cs than high-energy ⁶⁰Co. The gamma-ray shielding rates of test pieces shielding materials made of the same thickness changed exponentially with the tungsten content present in the composite materials. More tungsten led to a better shielding effect. At the same tungsten content, the gamma-ray shielding effect showed a proportional relationship with the thickness of the shielding test bodies, in which thicker test bodies induced better shielding effects. In sum, the integration of 3D printing in the mechanical design and manufacturing of shielding bodies is an effective and promising way for quick processing when considering diverse rays and complex environments. Lighter shielding bodies, at lower costs, can be achieved by structural design in limited space to maximize the material utilization rate and reduce waste.

Polyethylene is used as a traditional shielding material in the nuclear industry, but still suffers from low softening point, poor mechanical properties, and difficult machining. In this study, novel boron carbide polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) composites with different mass ratios were prepared and tested as fast neutron absorbers. Next, shielding test pieces with low porosity were rapidly manufactured through the fused deposition modeling (FDM)-3D printing optimization process. The respective heat resistances, mechanical properties, and neutron shielding characteristics of as-obtained PEEK and boron carbide PEEK composites with different thicknesses were then evaluated. At load of 0.45 MPa, the heat deformation temperature of boron carbide PEEK increased with the boron carbide content. The heat deformation temperature of 30% wt. boron carbide PEEK was recorded as 308.4 °C. After heat treatment, both tensile strength and flexural strength of PEEK and PEEK composites rose by 40%–50% and 65%–78%, respectively. Moreover, the as-prepared composites showed excellent fast neutron shielding performances. For shielding test pieces with thicknesses between 40 mm and 100 mm, the neutron shielding rates exhibited exponential variation as a function of boron carbide content. The addition of 5%–15% boron carbide significantly changed the curvature of the shielding rate curve, suggesting an optimal amount of boron carbide. Meanwhile, the integrated shielding/structure may effectively shield neutron radiation, thereby ensuring optimal shielding performances. In sum, further optimization of the proposed process could achieve lightweight materials with less consumables and small volume.