Increase in linear attenuation coefficient by changing crystal structure of materials for radiation shielding and biomedical devices safety

Investigation of red clay and waste glass composite bricks for ionizing radiation shielding

Ionizing radiation is valuable for healthcare, industry, and agriculture. However, excessive exposure to ionizing radiation is detrimental to humans and the environment. Radiation protection aims at protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. This work aimed to study the effectiveness of composites of red clay and waste glass for ionizing radiation shielding. Five samples of different mix ratios of red clay to waste glass were fabricated into different dimensions using hand molding, dried, and burnt. The samples were characterized for ionizing radiation shielding. Monte-Carlo simulation was done using the GEANT4 toolkit and web-based NIST-XCOM photon attenuation database. The findings show that the measured half value layer (HVL) for the composite bricks showed a linear decrease from (6.13± 0.10) cm for the CNT sample that had 0 % waste glass to (4.62± 0.12) cm for the RCG11 sample that had 50 % waste glass. The GEANT4 simulated HVL values for CNT and RCG11 samples were (6.05±0.01) cm and (4.79±0.01) cm respectively. The NIST-XCOM values were (6.09±0.09) cm and (4.81± 0.01) cm for CNT and RCG11 respectively. The measured and simulated results were in good agreement. The findings of this study indicate an improvement in the shielding properties of red clay with the addition of waste glass and will promote radiation safety by providing an environmentally friendly alternative shielding material.•Proper shielding is key in promoting radiation safety and protection. There is a need for alternative shielding materials that can be used for walling during the construction of structures that house radioactive materials.•Red clay and waste glass composite bricks can provide alternative ionizing radiation shielding material.•This study will promote environmentally friendly practices in radiation safety and protection.

Development of ultra-thin radiation-shielding paper through nanofiber modeling of morpho butterfly wing structure

In medical institutions, radiation shielding is an effective strategy to protect medical personnel and patients from exposure. Reducing the weight of the shield worn by medical personnel in the radiation generating area plays a key role in improving their productivity and mobility. In this study, a new lightweight radiation shield was developed by electrospinning a polymer-tungsten composite material to produce nanofibers with a multi-layered thin-film structure similar to that of a morpho butterfly wing. The fabricated shield was in the form of 0.1 mm thick flexible shielding paper. The multi-layer structure of the thin shielding paper was obtained through nanofiber pattern formation via electrospinning a dispersion of tungsten particles. At 0.1 mm thickness, the paper's shielding rate was 64.88% at 60 keV. Furthermore, at 0.3 mm thick and arranged in a laminated structure, the shielding rate was 90.10% and the lead equivalent was 0.296 mmPb. When used as an apron material, the weight can be reduced by 45% compared to existing lead products. In addition, the material is highly processable and can be used to manufacture various flexible products, such as hats, gloves, underwear, and scarves used in medical institutions.

Composites cement/BaSO4/Fe3O4/CuO for improving X-ray absorption characteristics and structural properties

Composite cement/BaSO₄/Fe₃O₄/CuO with a thickness of 0.6 cm for various amounts of CuO: 2 wt%, 4 wt%, 6 wt%, and 8 wt% were successfully synthesized for the X-ray radiation shield. The bonding characteristics of composite and structural properties were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectra for the wavelength range of 4000–400 cm⁻¹ and X-ray diffraction with the range of 2θ from 25° to 50°, respectively. The shielding ability was measured using a mobile X-ray with an energy of 55, 66, and 77 keV for determining the mass and linear attenuation coefficient, electronic and atomic cross-section. These shield characteristics best agreement with theoretical calculation from the XCOM database for energy < 77 keV with half value layer (HVL) < 0.3 cm. The best shielding in this study indicated by the lowest HVL and MFP is composite for CuO 8 wt%. The HVL and MFP shows better values compared to the previous reported using composite rubber-based, indicated high potentials composite in this study for design new and efficient radiology rooms as an alternative concrete, especially for X-ray radiation, in the future.

Efficiency enhancement in scintillation detectors by changing the valence-band electron density and crystal structure of the scintillation material

Scintillation detectors are commonly used for detecting radiation in various situations. NaI:Tl, CsI:Tl, BaF2 and CaF2:Eu are a few compounds that act as scintillation crystals for these detectors. The efficiency of a scintillation detector is one of the most important factors in improving the detector's performance. The present work shows that the efficiency of a scintillation detector can be increased by increasing the valence-band electron density as a result of changing the crystal structure of the scintillating material. This will enhance the image quality of all imaging techniques based upon scintillation detectors. The results reveal that by changing the structure of the crystal from simple cubic to body-centered cubic or face-centered cubic the efficiency of the detector increases. The packing of more atoms into the crystal increases the number of atoms per unit cell and the density of the crystal. It is also observed that the increase in the number of atoms per unit cell and the density of the crystal will equally increase the efficiency of the detector. The additional atoms from changing the crystal structure contribute more valence-band electrons, which allows for a higher chance of interaction between the incoming radiation and the valence-band electrons to absorb more radiation energy.