Co-extruded multi-layer radiation shielding pipe system - ON-1259

Project type: Innovation
Desired discipline(s): Engineering - mechanical, Engineering, Engineering - other, Chemistry, Natural Sciences
Company: Lattice Structure Labs Inc.
Project Length: Longer than 1 year
Preferred start date: 01/19/2027
Language requirement: English with some French proficiency
Location(s): Toronto, ON, Canada
No. of positions: 1
Desired education level: Master'sPhDPostdoctoral fellow
Open to applicants registered at an institution outside of Canada: No

About the company: 

It is a deep-tech advanced materials company. Its flagship asset is MANTTEL™, a multilayer nanoscale radiation-shielding compound. It is a computationally validated and now in fabrication, it works like “sunscreen for radiation” for spacecraft, satellites, and nuclear reactors. MANTTEL™ is protected by a US provisional patent, and a pipe application for shielding radioactive liquids in transport has been filed in Canada.
LSL pursues defense, nuclear, space, and life-sciences markets through partnerships with research institutions and industrial players, including universities, LANL-linked researchers, NVIDIA Inception, and private sector MNC’s. It funds this work through a mix of equity and non-dilutive grants across North America and Europe.

Describe the project.: 

This project involves the development of MANTTEL Pipe, a co-extruded, multi-layer radiation shielding pipe system designed for transporting radioactive liquids or protecting liquids in radioactive environments. The core innovation is replacing traditional, toxic lead-based shielding with a lead-free, monolithically co-extruded four-layer structure. This design mitigates environmental, health, and regulatory risks.
The innovation includes the following structural layers:
L1 (Structural Shell): Uses polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for mechanical strength, outer containment, and chemical resistance.
L2 (Template Layer): Uses a titanosilicate material with a Ti–O–Ti chain architecture within a PVDF matrix for inter-layer adhesion and structural templating.
L3 (Gamma/X-ray Attenuation): Uses tungsten (W) particles in a PVDF matrix, completely replacing lead.
L4 (Neutron Capture): Uses boron carbide (B_4C) particles in a PVDF matrix to absorb thermal neutrons.
The main tasks will center around the scalable manufacture of this system. The process requires separate compounding of each layer's materials—utilizing single or twin-screw compounders depending on the layer—followed by feeding the compounds into a multi-channel concentric annular die. The methodology involves a single-pass co-extrusion at a unified die temperature of 240–260°C to ensure stable layer boundaries and prevent the titanosilicate framework from collapsing. Subsequent techniques include rapid water bath quenching and external sizing to maintain strict geometric tolerances. A critical phase will involve matching melt viscosity across all four compounds prior to die design, specifically managing the high viscosity of the tungsten-loaded layer. Finally, the candidate will oversee quality assurance testing, which includes hydrostatic pressure testing, inter-layer adhesion peel tests, gamma transmission tests, and magnetic susceptibility checks.

Required expertise/skills: 

Materials Synthesis & Compounding: Expertise in hydrothermal synthesis of titanosilicate templates and operating twin-screw compounders for high-viscosity filler loading, specifically tungsten and boron carbide.
Rheology: Utilizing capillary rheometry to match melt viscosities across four highly loaded polymer compounds operating at 240–260°C.
Co-Extrusion Engineering: Designing multi-channel concentric annular dies and managing downstream water quenching and vacuum sizing. Computational Chemistry & HPC: Proficiency with GPU-accelerated molecular dynamics (MD) software (e.g., LAMMPS) and NVIDIA AI platforms (such as ALCHEMI) to simulate atomic behaviors and efficiently model the TiO₂–WO₃ mixed oxide bridge.
Radiation Transport Simulation: Expertise in Monte Carlo codes (e.g., MCNP, Geant4) executed on NVIDIA HPC architectures to rapidly benchmark gamma, X-ray, and thermal neutron attenuation against Half Value Layer (HVL) and Total Value Layer (TVL) targets. Mechanical & Physical Characterization: Conducting ASTM D1876 inter-layer peel tests, ISO hydrostatic pressure testing, and interpreting XRD/SEM diagnostics to ensure monolithic structural integrity.