Characterization of tannin-added Rhizophora spp. particleboards as phantom materials for photon beams

The study evaluates the suitability of tannin-added particleboards made of Rhizophora spp. woods as phantom material for photon beams. The particleboards were fabricated at different particle sizes and target density of 1.0 g/cm(3). The mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the particleboards were evaluated according to Japanese Industrial Standards GIS A 5908:2003). The microstructure, elemental composition and effective atomic number of the particleboards were studied using Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis. Computed tomography (CT) images were obtained to determine the CT numbers and density profiles of the particleboards. The results indicated addition of tannin had improved the IB strength and MOR of the particleboards between 5 and 48%. The value of effective atomic number showed good agreement of tannin-added Rhizophora spp. to water with percentage different of 3.7%. The autocondensation of tannin also had improved the compactness of the particleboards. The CT number and density profile of tannin-added Rhizophora spp. were close to water shown by the lower chi(2) of 0.041. The results indicated the suitability of tannin-added Rhizophora spp. particleboards as phantom materials for photon beams. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.