Evaluation of incorporation of granite waste and SnO2-NPs into coating mortar for gamma-ray shielding

Abstract

This study explores the use of waste granite and tin oxide nanoparticles (SnO2 NPs) as replacements for sand in mortar composites containing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Hydrated Lime (HL), and Quarry Sand (QS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging revealed an increase in particle distribution between voids in the control mortar, enhancing photon absorption. The density of the prepared mortar samples exhibited a notable increment, with a 2.12–2.30 g/cm3 increase through the inclusion of SnO2-NPs. Additionally, the Phy-X software was employed to experimentally measure and theoretically calculate the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), demonstrating a high degree of agreement between the two values. The LAC values were found to increase with the replacement ratio of granite waste and SnO2 nanoparticles, demonstrating the effectiveness of these materials as radiation shielding agents. This study investigates the effect of substituting waste granite and SnO2 nanoparticles for sand in mortars, resulting in an increase in LAC levels, indicating potential for improved radiation shielding capabilities, although the degree of change in LAC may be energy-dependent. The half value results (HVL) results demonstrated a significant decrease in required material thickness for radiation shielding applications with numerical values of 1.153, 0.734, 0.456, 0.351, and 0.261 cm for the control, Mor-1, Mor-2, Mor-3, and Mor-4 samples, respectively, at an energy of 0.06 MeV.