Polymeric composite materials for radiation shielding: a review

More, Chaitali V.; Alsayed, Zainab; Badawi, Mohamed S.; Thabet, Abouzeid A.; Pawar, Pravina P.

doi:10.1007/s10311-021-01189-9

Cited by 253 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 207 publications

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“…When dealing with a compound or mixture of elements, µ m is expressed as the following sum [ 7 ]:

where the

factors represent the weight fraction of element

in the compound.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of most commonly available polymers is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is used in numerous applications. Another polymer that can be used as a moderator is ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which offers flexibly, a low manufacturing cost, and toughness [ 7 ]. In order to generate a radiation shielding material suitable for gamma radiation and neutrons, researchers have attempted to prepare polymer-based composites mixed with elements or materials and examine and characterize their radiation attenuation ability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of New Lead-Free Composite Materials as Potential Radiation Shields

et al. 2021

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Utilizing a polymer-based radiation shield offers lightweight, low cost, non-toxic compared to lead and solution for eliminating generated secondary neutrons. Incorporating silicon (i.e., one of the most abundant elements) in new applications, such as shielding, would have an impact on the economy and industry. In this study, seven potential shielding materials, composed of silicon, silicon carbide, and boron carbide embedded ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers, are proposed. The shielding performance of these composite materials, including the attenuation coefficients (µ), the mass attenuation coefficients (µm), the half value layer (HVL), the mean free path (MFP), and the radiation protection efficiency (RPE) were examined using photon beams. Measured µm were verified against the calculated values. The averaged agreement was within ±7.4% between the experimental measurements and the theoretical calculation results. The HVL and MFP measured values for the polymer composites were lower than that for the pure EVA polymer, indicating the fillers in the polymers enhanced the shielding performance. The EVA + SiC (30%) and EVA + Si (15%) + B4C (15%) composites required the lowest thickness to stop 50% of the incident photons. The evaluation of experimental results of the RPE revealed that the polymer composites containing SiC (30%), Si (15%) + B4C (15%), or SiC (15%) + B4C (15%) succeeded in blocking 90–91% of X-rays at nearly 80 keV. However, a thicker shield of the proposed composite materials or combined layers with other high-Z materials could be used for higher energies.

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“…When dealing with a compound or mixture of elements, µ m is expressed as the following sum [ 7 ]:

where the

factors represent the weight fraction of element

in the compound.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of New Lead-Free Composite Materials as Potential Radiation Shields

et al. 2021

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“…Finally, we assessed the radiation protection efficiency (RPE) of manufactured composites using experimental data. Brass reinforced composite samples encoded CuZn00, CuZn05, CuZn10, CuZn15, and CuZn20 were reported with material densities ranging from 1.1881 g/cm 3 to 1.3649 g/cm 3 . The gamma-ray transmission properties were also simulated using the general-purpose Monte Carlo code MCNPX (version 2.4.0) [17].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, lead (Pb) and lead-based shielding materials have a number of significant drawbacks, including toxicity, lack of transparency, and unsuitability for long-term use [1]. Consequently, the discovery and application of alternate radiation shielding materials has emerged as a prominent research subject in recent years [2][3][4][5][6]. The main goal of these materials is to keep radiation levels as low as possible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel Cu/Zn Reinforced Polymer Composites: Experimental Characterization for Radiation Protection Efficiency (RPE) and Shielding Properties for Alpha, Proton, Neutron, and Gamma Radiations

et al. 2021

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In this study, brass (Cu/Zn) reinforced polymer composites with different proportions of brass powders were fabricated. Different types of nuclear shielding parameters such as mass and linear attenuation coefficients, radiation protection efficiency, half and tenth value layers, and effective atomic number values were determined experimentally and theoretically in the energy range of 0.060–1.408 MeV in terms of gamma-ray shielding capabilities of fabricated polymer composites. A high Purity Germanium detector (HPGe) in conjunction with a Multi-Channel Analyzer (MCA) and twenty-two characteristic gamma-ray energies have been used in the experimental phase. In addition, the exposure and energy absorption buildup factors of reinforced Cu/Zn composites were calculated, and relative dose distribution values were computed to verify them. Proton mass stopping power (YP), proton projected range (FP), alpha mass stopping power (YA), and alpha projected range (FA) parameters, which indicate the interactions of the produced composites with charged particle radiation, were investigated. Fast neutron removal cross-section (ΣR) results were determined to give an idea in terms of neutron shielding. According to the obtained results, it is reported that the CuZn20 coded sample’s ability to attenuate gamma-ray and charged particle radiation is more efficient than that of other prepared composites. A CuZn05 coded sample was found to be more suitable for neutron shielding capability.

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“…For instance, we used polyethylene (PE) and borated polyethylene (a mixture of PE and boron oxide) as neutron protection materials in nuclear reactors. These polymers lose mechanical and thermal stability when exposed to consecutive radiation [51][52][53][54]. Nevertheless, the advent of nanoscience and nanotechnology has fueled important advances in several fields, such as in medicine, electronics, and catalysts, among others.…”

Section: Composites As An Approach To Enhance the Performance Of Polymers Against He-emrmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Brief Review on the High-Energy Electromagnetic Radiation-Shielding Materials Based on Polymer Nanocomposites

Acevedo-Del-Castillo

Águila-Toledo

Maldonado-Magnere

et al. 2021

IJMS

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This paper revises the use of polymer nanocomposites to attenuate high-energy electromagnetic radiation (HE-EMR), such as gamma radiation. As known, high-energy radiation produces drastic damage not only in facilities or electronic devices but also to life and the environment. Among the different approaches to attenuate the HE-EMR, we consider the use of compounds with a high atomic number (Z), such as lead, but as known, lead is toxic. Therefore, different works have considered low-toxicity post-transitional metal-based compounds, such as bismuth. Additionally, nanosized particles have shown higher performance to attenuate HE-EMR than those that are micro-sized. On the other hand, materials with π-conjugated systems can also play a role in spreading the energy of electrons ejected as a consequence of the interaction of HE-EMR with matter, preventing the ionization and bond scission of polymers. The different effects produced by the interactions of the matter with HE-EMR are revised. The increase of the shielding properties of lightweight, flexible, and versatile materials such as polymer-based materials can be a contribution for developing technologies to obtain more efficient materials for preventing the damage produced for the HE-EMR in different industries where it is found.

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Polymeric composite materials for radiation shielding: a review

Cited by 253 publications

References 207 publications

Development of New Lead-Free Composite Materials as Potential Radiation Shields

Development of New Lead-Free Composite Materials as Potential Radiation Shields

Novel Cu/Zn Reinforced Polymer Composites: Experimental Characterization for Radiation Protection Efficiency (RPE) and Shielding Properties for Alpha, Proton, Neutron, and Gamma Radiations

A Brief Review on the High-Energy Electromagnetic Radiation-Shielding Materials Based on Polymer Nanocomposites

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