Enhanced radiation shielding performance of epoxy resin composites with Sb2O3 and Al2O3 additives

Abstract

We prepared epoxy resin composites containing Sb2O3 and Al2O3 for radiation shielding applications, such as in the fields of nuclear medicine and medical radiation for both occupational and public radiation protection. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was measured by a collimated gamma radiation technique with the use of a NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal detector. The density of the prepared SbAl composites is determined to be between 1.31 and 1.48 g/cm3, which is higher than that of pure epoxy. We reported the impact of Al2O3 on the radiation shielding performance of the prepared composites. At 0.059 MeV, we found that the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) increases from 1.45 to 1.64 cm−1 when the Al2O3 changes from 5 to 20 w.t.%. We found that at 0.059 MeV, the Al2O3 has a notable impact on the LAC and on the other parameters such as the half value layer. At 0.662 MeV, we found that the Al2O3 has a small influence on the LAC and HVL, where the LAC increases only from 0.0978 to 0.1071 cm−1. Moreover, the HVL at 0.662 MeV is in the range of 6.47–7.08 cm. From the HVL results, we found that epoxy resin composites that are thinner than 6 cm and include 15% Sb2O3 and various quantities of Al2O3 (up to 20%) are not appropriate for use in applications that demand for attenuating radiation with an energy lower than 0.662 MeV. The study's findings could be useful in optimizing shielding materials used to help protect personnel and patients in facilities using medical radiation sources, such as nuclear medicine.