Coaxial electrospinning of continuous PVDF/Bi2O3/CeO2 nanofibre yarns with lead-equivalent X-ray attenuation for radiation-protective healthcare textiles

Lead-based protective garments weighing 2–7 kg impose a musculoskeletal burden on interventional radiology staff. Currently developed alternative shielding materials focus on enabling lightweight, textile-compatible protection; however, no lead-substitute material has yet been produced in a continuous yarn form. This study investigates electrospun yarn production via coaxial and conjugate-polarity configurations. Membrane casting was first used to establish the maximum filler loading at which PVDF and the bismuth/cerium oxides form a homogeneous, electrospinnable solution; loadings up to 90 wt% were achieved, substantially exceeding the practical limits of single-fluid electrospinning. A DMSO/acetone solvent system replaced toxic DMF while promoting a high β-phase content in the PVDF matrix. In the resulting core-sheath yarns, the core Bi2O3/CeO2 provides shielding capacity while the PVDF sheath maintains mechanical strength. The composite membrane reached 48.7% X-ray attenuation at 80 kV. This nearly matches the commercial 0.2 mm lead film reference (47.8%). Transferred to the yarn format, the highest-loading yarn (90 wt%) reached an effective linear attenuation coefficient of 0.766 mm⁻1, exceeding that of the membrane and demonstrating that shielding efficiency is retained in a continuous yarn.