Radiation Shielding Characteristics Research Articles

Monte Carlo Investigation of Gamma Radiation Shielding Features for Bi2O3/Epoxy Composites

Three different samples were synthesized based on polyepoxide resin, a solidifying agent, and a Bi2O3 doping compound. The polyepoxide resin and solidifying agent were added in a 2:1 ratio by weight and the Bi2O3 compound was added in ratios of 0, 5, and 10 wt. %. The density of the synthesized composites was measured using an MH-300A densimeter with an uncertainty in measurement of 0.001 g/cm3. The measurements showed that the density of the fabricated composite varied from 1.103 g/cm3 to 1.20 g/cm3 when the reinforcing Bi2O3 compound was raised from 0 wt. % to 10 wt. %. Furthermore, the γ-ray shielding parameters were evaluated based on the simulated mean track length of γ-photons inside the synthesized composites using MCNP-5 code. The simulated results show an enhancement in the shielding parameter when increasing the Bi2O3 concentration, where the linear attenuation coefficient values increased from 0.101 cm−1 to 0.118 cm−1 as the Bi2O3 concentration increased from 0 to 10 wt. %. The increase in the LAC has a positive effect on the other shielding properties.

Rheological, Mechanical, Microstructural and Radiation Shielding Properties of Cement Pastes Containing Magnetite (Fe3O4) Nanoparticles

This work examines the influence of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) on neutron and gamma-ray radiation shielding characteristics of Portland cement paste. Experimental evaluations were supplemented with theoretical studies using NXCom program. Portland cement pastes with 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 wt% of nanomagnetite cement replacement were produced. Moreover, rheological, early strength development, compressive strength, and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests were performed. The results showed that increasing the amount of Fe3O4 NPs in a mix leads to a gradual increment in measured viscosity and yield stress. High nano-Fe3O4 content substantially impeded the early strength development process and led to a decrement in the 7- and 28-day compressive strength of cement paste. The MIP studies exhibited a gradual increment in total porosity, and average pore volume, as nano-Fe3O4 content was increased. All the macroscopic cross-sections of slow, fast and thermal neutrons constantly increased as a result of the addition of magnetite nanoparticles, with their variations being markedly linear. Similarly, gamma attenuation test results indicated that the addition of Fe3O4 powder enhances the shielding capability of paste in the energy range of interest (0.08–2.614 MeV). In conclusion, Fe3O4 nanoparticles can be successfully used in producing lead-free cementitious composites with improved gamma-ray and neutron shielding properties. However, certain drawbacks related to an increment in matrix porosity and thus a decrement in mechanical performance should be taken into account.

Mechanical and radiation shielding features of lithium titanophosphate glasses doped BaO

Glasses with the formulation 15TiO2 -70P2O5 –(15−x) Li2O- x BaO x = (0 ≤ x ≤ 10 mol. %) are fabricate by the melt quenching procedure. As BaO concentration increased, the observed density increased and the predicted molar volume decreases. To assess the elastic properties of glasses, ultrasonic velocities were measured. Ultrasonic velocities (VL&VT) increases as the amount of BaO content increases. The higher connection strength of BaO proportional to Li2O as well as an increment in coordination number results in an increment in elastic moduli. The Phy-X/PSD program was also used to describe the samples' gamma-ray shielding parameters, like the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) (cm2/g). According to studies on radiation shielding in glasses, the BaO content is the only factor affecting the radiation shielding phenomenon. All the samples have (MAC) values of 7.868, 9.177, 10.432, 12.794, 13.907, and 0.021, 0.022, 0.022, 0.023, and 0.024 at lower and higher energies. One can deduce that BaO reinforcement has multiple functions, including increasing the density of comparable glass compositions and thus their mechanical and gamma-ray shielding properties. This study suggests, there is a strong correlation between the mechanical and radiation properties of the glasses.

Structural and performance radiation protection the phosphate glasses contain: Te, K, Al, Nb-doped with rare earth

Because of the increased use of ionizing radiation, radiation management and security procedures are now regarded a standard part of many therapeutic and specialist fields. The focus of this work is on the radiation security features of Novel Oxide Glass (PZBKTANEr). The unique glass assembly is 40P2O5-30ZnO- 20BaF2-3.8K2TeO3- 1.2Al2O3-5Nb2O5-3Er2O3 in mol percent (test code PZBKTANEr). For the suggested oxide glass, several radiation shielding characteristics have been investigated for a specific energy range of ionizing radiation. The linear and mass attenuation coefficients, mean free path, half-value layer, total nuclear and electronic cross-sections, and fast neutron expulsion cross-section are among the radiation shielding properties. Furthermore, the unique fabricated glass (PZBKTANEr) was compared to commonly used radiation protection compositions, such as RS-253 G18, RS-360, RS-520, Chromite, Ferrite, Magnetite, and Barite glass, as well as RS-253 G18, RS-360, RS-520, Chromite, Ferrite, Magnetite, and Barite glass. Also, we studied the structure of fabrication by using Raman spectra. The findings suggest that the new oxide glass might be used in a broad variety of ionizing radiation applications for protection in both therapeutic and industrial applications.

Study on Radiation Shielding Characteristics of Refractory High Entropy Alloys by EpiXS Code

Study on Radiation Shielding Characteristics of Refractory High Entropy Alloys by EpiXS Code

Investigation of radiation shielding features for some types of commercial granites collected from Saudi Arabia

Investigation of radiation shielding features for some types of commercial granites collected from Saudi Arabia

Experimentally Validated Analytical Solutions to Homogeneous Problems of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) on Rectangular Cement-Based Materials

Diagnostic technologies using X-rays and/or acoustic emissions for concrete infrastructures containing internal pores, defects, and cracks have attracted considerable interest. However, computerized tomography (CT) for concrete is challenging due to its radiation shielding characteristics. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT), initially developed for medical use, has recently shown a potential for developing a macro-CT technique for concrete structures. This study derived EIT analytical solutions for rectangular cement-based samples and validated them with experimental data obtained from cubic mortar samples. The experimental validation of the three mathematical functions (Dirac delta, Heaviside step, and Gaussian) used as current injection models, the Gaussian function produced the lowest relative absolute error (4.02%). This study also explored appropriate experimental setups for cement-based materials, such as Shunt model, current flow paths, and potential distribution.

Comparative simulations study of radiations shielding properties of 69P2O5–10Gd2O3/10GdF3–10BaO–10ZnO–1Er2O3 glasses

Abstract We study the theoretical and simulated shielding properties of 69P2O5–10Gd2O3–10BaO–10ZnO–1Er2O3 and 69P2O5–10GdF3–10BaO–10ZnO-1Er2O3 glasses. We exploit advanced simulation (MCNPX) and Phy-X, an online Photon Shielding and Dosimetry software, in the 0.001–15 MeV energy range, to calculate the linear attenuation coefficient and mass attenuation coefficients of the samples. The obtained mass attenuation coefficient is then used to calculate the critical radiation shielding characteristics, such as the half-value layer, mean free path, tenth value layer, and effective atomic number. The calculated LAC values range from 108.759 to 0.097 and from 84.124 to 0.087 cm−1 while HVL values range from 0.006 to 7.164 and from 0.008 to 8.013 cm, and MFP values vary from 0.009 to 10.335 and from 0.012 to 11.561 cm for ZBaOEr and ZBaFEr, respectively, with energy ranging from 0.015 to 15 MeV. We find that the results obtained from MCNPX and Phy-X are consistent with each other, based on the computed relative difference. The glass sample containing Gd2O3 exhibits better shielding properties than the one with GdF3, over the entire energy range. Our examined glass samples are thick enough to substantially lessen the intensity of incident X-rays and gamma rays.

Correlation between mechanical, gamma shielding features and tellurium oxide concentrations in molybdenum aluminum strontium borate glass

This study investigates the effect of adding TeO2 instead of B2O3 in a glass system containing a fixed amount of Al2O3, MoO3, and SrO as modifiers. The present work included the impact of the addition of TeO2 on radiation and mechanical properties theoretically. The shielding properties were calculated based on XCOM data, and mechanical properties were computed based Makishima-Mackenzie’s model. The addition of TeO2 reduced the packing density gradually. Besides, Young’s longitudinal, shear, and bulk moduli showed the same behavior. In contrast, the density and shielding properties enhanced progressively with increasing TeO2 instead B2O3, like mass attenuation coefficient, transmission factor, effective atomic number, radiation protection efficiency, charged particle range, etc. It can be concluded that adding TeO2 reduced the glass elasticity and enhanced radiation shielding features, leading to potential utilization in the gamma and charged particle shielding scope.

Multifunctional PCz/BaO nanocomposites: Ionizing radiation shielding ability and enhanced electric conductivity

The present study deals with the production of multifunctional polymer-based nanocomposites having the ability of ionizing radiation shielding and enhanced electric conductivity. In this context, it is aimed to obtain a new environmentally-friendly lead-free material with both high electric conductivity and ionizing radiation shielding features by reinforcing polycarbazole (PCz), a conductive polymer with BaO nanoparticles having a high effective atomic number. PCz matrix and BaO nanoparticles have been prepared by polymerization and co-precipitation methods, respectively. The surface morphology of the PCz matrix and nano BaO particles have been characterized by SEM and TEM images. Additionally, the optical band gaps of the samples have been calculated by using UV–visible spectroscopy. The lowest optical bandgap i.e. the highest electric conductivity has been observed for the 10 wt% BaO nanoparticle doped composite. On the other hand, the ionizing radiation shielding abilities of the samples have been evaluated in the context of mass attenuation coefficient, half-value layer, mean free path, effective atomic number, and effective electron density determined both experimentally and theoretically. Experimental measurements have been carried out by using NaI(Tl) detector and point radioactive sources (Ba-133, Cs-137, and Co-60) in the narrow beam geometry. The theoretical calculations have been performed by WinXCom software. A reasonable agreement between the experimental and WinXCom results has been found. Consequently, it has been determined that the maximum radiation shielding ability has been detected against 81 keV radiation for the PCz/30 wt% BaO nanocomposite. The composite has also a lower bandgap than pristine PCz. In this respect, the PCz/30 wt% BaO nanocomposite can have a promising potential in both medical and electronic applications that require high electric conductivity and ionizing radiation shielding ability.

Ecofriendly and radiation shielding properties of newly developed epoxy with waste marble and WO3 nanoparticles

Research into protection techniques from harmful effects of gamma radiation have increased contemporarily. The development of radiation-resistant materials having a high radiation resistance and absorption of different types of ionizing radiation could offer promising solutions to this matter. For this purpose, the preparation and examination of a novel type of polymer doped with various WO3 concentrations are presented in this study. To accomplish our main objective, we evaluated the effectiveness of their radiation shielding against gamma radiation from 137Cs, 60Co, and 241Am. At all investigated energies, the measured and theoretical linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) values are highly similar, proving that the experimental LAC values can be used to reliably predict other radiation shielding characteristics. The half value layer (HVL) values decreased as the samples' WO3 level rises indicating that increasing the amount of WO3 in these samples increases their radiation shielding effectiveness. In addition, it was found a positive correlation between radiation energy and the mean free path (MFP) values. At 0.060 MeV, the MFP values are equal to 1.374 cm, 0.691 cm, 0.521 cm, and 0.369 cm at concentrations of 0, 10, 20, and 25% WO3, respectively reflecting that the MFP is reduced by 3.7 times due to the addition of 20% WO3 nanoparticles. From the transmission factor, it was found that improving the shielding ability of the proposed materials could be achieved by increasing and adjusting the thickness of the absorber depending on the required energy range used. It is noteworthy that the present studied samples (epoxy + waste marble + nano-WO3) that have exhibited a greater shielding ability than other nanoparticles added polymers like (Epoxy + nano-MgO30), and (silicone rubber + nano-WO330).

Structure and radiation-shielding characteristics of BTO/MnZnFeO ceramic composites

There is considerable demand at present for new, non-toxic, reproducible, and cheap materials that can function effectively as γ-ray shields. This work reports the synthesis of novel BTO/MnZnFeO ceramic composites via cost-effective and environmentally friendly approaches, and examines their crystal structure and performance in terms of shielding against γ-rays. The results of X-ray diffraction indicated that bi-phasic ceramic composites underwent no chemical reaction within the MnZnFeO and BTO phases. The size of the crystallite was determined by the Scherrer formula, and decreased as the MnZnFeO content of the composite increased. The ceramics prepared in the form of pellets were exposed to γ radiation. The authors also experimentally studied the coefficient of linear attenuation, the half-value, the average tenth values, and the ratio of radiation absorption of the fabricated BTO/MnZnFeO ceramic composites. The results verified improvements in the parameters of attenuation with the addition of MnZnFeO to the BTO ceramics. The linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) of 5%, 10%, and 20% MnZnFeO at 0.662 MeV were 0.480, 0.502, and 0.546 cm−1, respectively. The half-value layer (HVL) of S1 was 0.048 cm at 81 keV, and increased to 0.876 cm at 0.356 MeV, while the HVL of S2 was 0.0475 cm at 81 keV, increased to 0.844 cm at 0.356 MeV, and was approximately 2 cm at 1.333 MeV. The values of the average tenth value layer (TVL)av were 0.16 cm at 81 keV and 2.77 cm at 0.356 MeV, and increased with the radiation energy to reach 4.5 and 6.8 cm at energies of 0.662 and 1.333 MeV, respectively. The results of our experiments thus verified the impressive performance of the BTO/MnZnFeO ceramic composites in terms of shielding against γ radiation for photons with energy lower than 100 keV.

Effect of WO3 Nanoparticles on the Radiative Attenuation Properties of SrTiO3 Perovskite Ceramic

In the present work, an experimental study is performed to study the radiation shielding characteristics of SrTiO3 (STO) perovskite ceramic added with different amounts (x = 0, 2, 5, and 10%) of tungsten trioxide nanoparticles (WO3 NPs). The four ceramic samples were prepared using the solid-state reaction method. The structural properties were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The analysis showed the successful formation of WO3- doped STO samples. The crystallite size, estimated using the Scherrer equation, was found in the range of 50.86–41.17 nm. The effect of WO3 NPs on the radiation shielding performance of these ceramics was studied. Different parameters, such as linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) and other related factors, were experimentally determined. The linear attenuation coefficient results demonstrated that the additional amount of WO3 in the ceramics correlates with an improvement in their shielding abilities. The half-value layer (HVL) values for the ceramics with 2% WO3 nanoparticles are equal to 0.071, 1.760, 2.407, and 2.564 cm at 0.060, 0.662, 1.173, and 1.333 MeV, respectively. As the energy increases, more radiation can pass through the material; therefore, a larger thickness is required to absorb half of the total photons, leading to a greater HVL. The tenth value results reaffirmed that increasing the WO3 content in the STO ceramics improves their shielding efficiency. The radiation protection efficiency (RPE) of the four prepared STO ceramics was reported. From the RPE, we found that more photons can be attenuated at lower energies.

Enhancing the radiation absorption ability of the glass system with the contamination of Heavy Metal Oxide (PbO, CuO, and Bi2O3)‏

Containing the molar percentage recipe of 55B2O3–x PbO–(45-x) CuO [ where, x = 5, 10,15, 20, 25 and 30 mol%] glass systems were particularized in this present study. To detect the radiation shielding features such as linear attenuation coefficients (LAC), mass attenuation coefficients (MAC), half value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Zeff) of these six glasses by using Phy-X software. The obtained results indicate that the value of the studied glass systems represented the highest value of LAC, MAC, and Zeff whereas the lowest value has found for HVL, and MFP. The value of these parameters represented the utmost shielding ability displayed by the studied glass containing the highest mol percentage of the PbO and CuO. Additionally, it has been seen that the density of the glass systems upsurges due to the greater addition of wt% of the PbO and CuO. The studied glass system S6 (30PbO-15CuO-55B2O3) represented a 5.3 times lower value than sample S1(5PbO-40CuO-55B2O3). That means the highest percentage of PbO and CuO enhances the shielding ability. Noteworthy, it has been found from the studied results that with the increase of incident photon energy the value of HVL has increased. Like at energy 1.33 MeV, the half value layer for studied glass sample S1 (5PbO-40CuO-55B2O3) is approximately 3 cm while S6 is 2 cm. In view of the above facts, it can be easily stated that the studied sample S6 (30PbO-15CuO-55B2O3) has the best shielding ability among the six studied glass samples.

Recycling of waste porcelain into newly developed bismo-borate glass admixture with Gd3+ ions for nuclear radiation protection uses: An experimental and theoretical study

The porcelain waste (PW) and the ionizing radiation have serious deleterious effects on the environment, therefore the recycling of PW to protect against radiation could be an attractive approach. This work aims to recycle PW and use it in preparing bismo-borate glasses (BBGs) admixture with gadolinium. Gadolinium was incorporated to enhance the optical, thermo-mechanical, and radiation shielding characteristics. Physical, optical, and radiation shielding properties were evaluated through experimental and theoretical techniques. Accordingly, XGd2O3: (20-X) waste: 30B2O3: 35Bi2O3: 15CaO glass composition where, (X = 0, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 wt %) using the melt cooling method. The amorphous nature of the prepared glasses was identified by peak X-ray diffraction profiles. The influence of Gd2O3 content on the physical and optical properties of the glass systems has been investigated experimentally. Moreover, experimental and theoretical studies on gamma-ray and neutron shielding features were performed. The results proved that the inclusion of Gd in the porcelain waste BBG results in the increment of the yield density that increases the gamma-ray attenuation capacity. In addition, dramatic and slight improvements were observed for both slow and fast neutrons, respectively. The slow neutron shielding improved by 52% due to 2 wt. % of Gd2O3. In conclusion, the PW was recycled and successfully incorporated into glass systems with improved physical, optical, and radiation (γ-ray and neutrons) shielding characteristics.

Effect of lead nanoparticles on the radiation shielding characteristics of carbon fiber/epoxy composites

Materials with shielding capabilities against gamma radiation are important for nowadays applications in order to alleviate radiation damage. This study investigates the shielding characteristics of carbon fiber/epoxy composites incorporating lead nanoparticles (Pb-NP) of variable weight fractions. The composites in this experimental study are prepared using the hand-layup vacuum bagging process at room temperature. Mass attenuation coefficients are calculated for composites with variable Pb-NP weight fractions based on radiation intensity measurements taken using NaI (Tl) scintillation detector. The results show that adding small fractions of lead nanoparticles to the matrix phase of the composite material leads to improving its shielding properties, including their linear attenuation coefficient, mass attenuation coefficient and the Half-Value Layer (HVL). The results also show that mass attenuation coefficients of composite material with added Pb-NPs are higher than those of pure lead. For validation purposes, the experimental results are compared to computational results obtained using MCNP5 code for the same weight fractions of Pb-NPs. The two sets of results were found to be in good agreement with a maximum relative error of ∼16%.

Preparation and assessment of nanocomposites based on natural rubber latex reinforced with multiwall carbon nanotubes for Gamma rays shielding applications

Reinforcement of the flexible shielding properties of natural rubber (NRL) was achieved through various content Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) prepared from a simple solution using mixing method. We reported the structure change of NRL upon addaing different contenets of MWCNTs. The results from the X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the nanocomposites have been successfully prepared, making them fitting to impact significant improvement on the mechanical strength of the matrix. The frequency dependence of the dielectric constant, dielectric loss and AC conductivity of the NRL/MWCNTs nanocomposites at room temperature under different nanotube loading conditions were invistgated. The radiation shielding characteristics such as the linear attenuation coefficients (l) and half-value thickness for NRL/MWCNTs nanocomposite films were presented.Thus, from the obtained results, it can be concluded that nanocomposite films offer promising radiation-shielding properties.

Enhancing the physical, optical and shielding properties for ternary Sb2O3–B2O3–K2O glasses

Ternary Sb2O3–B2O3–K2O glass system, with general composition of x Sb2O3–(70-x) B2O3–30 K2O (where x = 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50) were prepared using melt-quenching technique. Structures of these glasses were investigated using XRD analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. The optical properties were investigated using the UV–Vis NIR JASCO (Model V-670) Double Beam Spectrophotometer. Different physical parameters, such as density (ρ), molar volume (VM), oxygen molar volume (VO) and oxygen packing density values (OPD) have been estimated. Also, the Gamma radiation shielding ability have been characterized for the investigated glasses using Phy-X/PSD software in the photon energy range (0.015–15 MeV). XRD analysis confirm the amorphous nature of the prepared glasses. The optical energy gap of SBK glasses is decreasing from 4 to 2.63 eV with increasing Sb2O3 content while refractive index is increasing from 2.17 to 2.5 because of increasing the non-bridging oxygens (NBOs) in the glass matrix. The molar refractivity (Rm), molar polarizability (αm) and the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility values χ3 have been calculated, their values are found to increase with increasing Sb2O3 content. Glass density and molar volume values for the SBK glasses increase with increasing Sb2O3 content. Increasing the Sb2O3 concentration enhance the radiation shielding features of the prepared glasses against gamma rays and neutrons. Hence, the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) increases from 8.6 to 35.4 cm2/gm while the half value layer (HVL) decreases from 0.036 to 0.0046 cm at 0.015 MeV as the Sb2O3 concentration increases from 0 to 50 mol%. The fast neutron cross section of the six investigated SBK glasses are (0.087, 0.092, 0.095, 0.091, 0.094 and 0.092 cm−1), respectively.

The role of Bi2O3 on radiation shielding characteristics of ternary bismuth tellurite glasses

In this study, we investigated the radiation shielding features of (90-x)TeO2–xBi2O3-10Na2CO3 (x = 4, 8,12,16 and 20 mol%) glasses. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) indicates that the shielding effectiveness of these glasses decreases as the energy is raised by showing a progressive reduction with increasing energy. The MAC at 0.284 MeV takes the values between 0.194 and 0.279 cm2/g for the glasses with 4 and 20 mol% of Bi2O3 and reduces to 0.079–0.090 cm2/g for these two samples at 0.662 MeV. With the addition of Bi2O3, a reasonable increase in the linear attenuation factor (LAC) values was also seen. This suggests that the addition of Bi2O3 has resulted in an enhancement in the gamma ray shielding properties. When compared to all other glasses, BT5 glass exhibited LAC values that ranged from 0.295 to 1.562 cm−1, which were the highest. The results indicate that the effective atomic number (Zeff) for the ternary bismuth tellurite glasses increases when TeO2 is replaced by Bi2O3. The Zeff of the glass with 20 mol% of Bi2O3 is higher than that of other samples, whilst that of 4 mol% of Bi2O3 is the lowest. At increasing energies, the mean free path (MFP), which is strongly energy dependent, expands. The MFP gradually declines as Bi2O3 content increases at the expense of TeO2, suggesting that the radiation attenuation characteristics of the selected specimen have gotten better as the Bi2O3 content increases.

Physical characterization and radiation shielding features of B2O3[sbnd]As2O3 glass ceramic

The synthetic B2O3As2O3 glass ceramic are prepared to investigate the physical properties and the radiation shielding capabilities with the variation of concentration of the As2O3 with 10, 20, 30, and 40%, respectively. XRD analyses are performed on the fabricated glass–ceramic and depicted the improvement of crystallinity by adding As2O3. The radiation shielding properties are studied for the B2O3As2O3 glass ceramic. The values of linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) are varied with the variation of incident photon gamma energy (23.1–103 keV). The LAC values enhanced from 12.19 cm−1–37.75 cm−1 by raising the As2O3 concentration from 10 to 40 mol% at low gamma energy (23.1 keV) for BAs10 and BAs40, respectively. Among the shielding parameters, the half–value layer, transmission factor, and radiation protection efficiency are estimated. Furthermore, the fabricated samples of glass ceramic have low manufacturing costs and good shielding features compared to the previous work. It can be concluded the B2O3As2O3 glass ceramic is appropriate to apply in X-ray or low-energy gamma-ray shielding applications.