Radioactive decontamination under low-temperature conditions using a UV-curable, solvent-free peelable coating

The rapid advancement of nuclear technology has heightened the urgent need for effective decontamination strategies, especially under low-temperature conditions. Although peelable coatings offer a practical solution to radioactive decontamination, their low-temperature performance remains largely unexplored. In this study, a UV-curable, solvent-free peelable coating was developed utilizing polyurethane as the matrix and acrylic ester as the active diluent. Due to the low glass transition temperature (Tg) provided by flexible long chains in its formulation, this peelable coating can rapidly cure at low temperatures while maintaining favorable mechanical properties (tensile strength of 11.34 MPa, elongation at break of 38.32 %) and peelability (peel strength below 2.88 N/cm on concrete plates) even at −15 °C, fulfilling low-temperature decontamination requirements. Moreover, this peelable coating maintains a high decontamination rate (above 94.49 % on glass and stainless steel plates, and 87.78 % on concrete plates) even at −15 °C across various substrates including glass, stainless steel, and concrete, highlighting its excellent temperature adaptability. This solvent-free peelable coating presented in this study offers a novel and sustainable strategy for radioactive decontamination in low-temperature environments, exhibiting significant application value and extensive prospects in this domain.