Gamma-ray shielding, electrical, and magnetic properties of α-Fe2O3/Al/HDPE nanocomposites

Abstract

In this work, different ratios of iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) and aluminum metal (Al) nanoparticles in powder shape have been used to prepare HDPE nanocomposites for γ-rays shielding applications. The electrical and magnetic properties of prepared samples were investigated. The WinXCom and MCNP5 programs have been used to calculate the mass attenuation coefficients (μ ρ −1) of γ-rays for the prepared samples. The μ ρ −1 for the prepared samples have been measured experimentally via a narrow beam of γ-rays at energies of 662, 1173, and 1332 keV from 131Cs and 60Co radioactive sources. The impact of α-Fe2O3 and Al on the γ-ray shielding ability of prepared composites have been clarified. The exposure buildup factor (EBF) has been calculated at energies of 0.015, 0.1, 1, and 10 MeV using MCNP5 program. The results indicated that the fillers affected the EBF at photon energies less than 0.1 MeV. HDPE as a polymeric matrix shows very stability with non-polar features against temperature and frequency. However, the prepared nanocomposites show a remarkable enhancement of their dielectric and electrical properties. Furthermore, the magnetic measurements depict unsaturated weak ferromagnetic behavior for α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites, and diamagnetic characteristics for HDPE and Al. The HDPE-based nanocomposites showed improved electrical and magnetic properties along with improved ability to attenuate low-energy γ-rays compared to pure HDPE.