Investigation of gamma ray shielding capability of fabricated clay-polyethylene composites using EGS5, XCOM and Phy-X/PSD

Recycled high-density polyethylene plastic reinforced with ilmenite as a sustainable radiation shielding material

In this work, recycled high-density polyethylene plastic (r-HDPE) reinforced with ilmenite mineral (Ilm) in different ratios (0, 15, 30, and 45 wt%) as a sustainable and flexible radiation shielding material was manufactured using the melt blending method. XRD patterns and FTIR spectra demonstrated that the polymer composite sheets were successfully developed. The morphology and elemental composition were addressed using SEM images and EDX spectra. Moreover, the mechanical characteristics of the prepared sheets were also studied. The gamma-ray attenuation characteristics for established r-HDPE + x% Ilm composite sheets were theoretically computed between 0.015 and 15 MeV using Phy-X/PSD software. Also, the mass attenuation coefficients have been compared to their values by the WinXCOM program. It is also shown that the shielding performance of the r-HDPE + 45% Ilm composite sheet is significantly greater than that of r-HDPE. As a result, the ilmenite-incorporated recycled high-density polyethylene sheets are suited for medical and industrial radiation shielding applications.

Flexible stretchable low-energy X-ray (30-80 keV) radiation shielding material: Low-melting-point Ga1In1Sn7Bi1 alloy/thermoplastic polyurethane composite

A highly flexible stretchable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite loaded with a low-melting-point Ga₁In₁Sn₇Bi₁ multiprincipal element alloy (LMPEA) was prepared, and its radiation shielding performance was evaluated. The fluid characteristic of LMPEA and the flexibility of TPU enable good interface compatibility. Ga₁In₁Sn₇Bi₁ LMPEA consists of two eutectic structures, and the liquid gallium-rich phases are distributed at the boundary of the InBi intermetallic compound and Sn solid solution. In the low-photon energy range of 30-80 keV, LMPEA has a theoretical specific lead equivalent of 0.803 mmPb/mm and a theoretical weight reduction of 17.27% compared with lead. To evaluate the photon attenuation capability for the LMPEA/TPU composites, the Phy-X procedure and Monte Carlo simulations were used to determine the shielding parameters, such as the mass attenuation coefficient, linear attenuation coefficient, half-value layer, tenth-value layer, mean free path, effective atomic number, and fast neutron removal cross section. The attenuation performance test of X-ray protective materials measured the actual lead equivalent. At the same thickness, the LMPEA/TPU composite (66.667, 50.000 wt% LMPEA loading) has a higher measured lead equivalent than the in-service medical shielding materials, which meets the lead equivalent requirements of X-ray protective clothing. LMPEA/TPU composites are nontoxic, lightweight, and have excellent low-energy X-ray shielding ability, offering great potential for application in medical wearable materials.

Investigation of shielding properties of impregnated activated carbon for gamma-rays

Carbon related structures are extraordinarily attractive materials for researchers and especially for organic chemistry, besides being the most important basic materials of daily life. The richness of various optical and electronic behaviors has made them one of the rapidly rising materials on the horizon of material science and condensed matter physics. Having the sheets of atoms that are stacked in a disorganized manner makes activated carbon being different from other forms of carbon -graphite- structures. The researches about the shielding properties of activated carbon atoms for gamma-rays are very rare and required to be improved. Since the use of radioactive sources in different fields (nuclear industry, shielding material, radiation biophysics and space research application, etc.) has been increasing expeditiously, the photon interactions with matter has gained more importance in the world of material science technology. In this article, we review the basics of the impregnated activated carbons (AC1 and AC2), as well as the link between the structural behaviors and the gamma shielding properties in terms of both quality and efficiency. Both XCom software and EGSnrc simulation code were used to obtain the theoretical calculations that are significantly important to be able to understand the shielding properties of impregnated activated carbons (AC1 and AC2) for gamma-rays. At the end, the mass attenuation coefficients (μ_m), the total atomic and the electronic cross-sections (σ_t,a and σ_t,e), the effective atomic number and the effective electron density (Z_eff and N_eff), the half value layer (HVL), the tenth value layer (TVL), and the mean free path (MFP) values of such materials were calculated and then compared with those of some other known shielding materials like lead, borosilicate, concrete and vermiculite. The calculated data showed that impregnated activated carbons (AC1 and AC2) are very appropriate and consistent to be one of the candidates for shielding materials of gamma-rays.