Ionization Radiation Shielding Effectiveness of Lead Acetate, Lead Nitrate, and Bismuth Nitrate-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanorods Thin Films: A Comparative Evaluation

Abstract

The fabrication of Nano-based shielding materials is an advancing research area in material sciences and nanotechnology. Although bulky lead-based products remain the primary choice for radiation protection, environmental disadvantages and high toxicity limit their potentials, necessitating less costly, compatible, eco-friendly, and light-weight alternatives. The theme of the presented investigation is to compare the ionization radiation shielding potentialities of the lead acetate (LA), lead nitrate (LN), and bismuth nitrate (BN)-doped zinc oxide nanorods-based thin films (ZONRs-TFs) produced via the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The impact of the selected materials’ doping content on morphological and structural properties of ZONRs-TF was investigated. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analyses of both undoped and doped TFs revealed the existence of hexagonal quartzite crystal structures. The composition analysis by energy dispersive (EDX) detected the corrected elemental compositions of the deposited films. Field emission scanning electronic microscope (FESEM) images of the TFs showed highly porous and irregular surface morphologies of the randomly aligned NRs with cracks and voids. The undoped and 2 wt.% BN-doped TFs showed the smallest and largest grain size of 10.44 nm and 38.98 nm, respectively. The linear attenuation coefficient (µ) values of all the optimally doped ZONRs-TFs measured against the X-ray photon irradiation disclosed their excrement shielding potency. The measured µ values of the ZONRs-TFs displayed the trend of 1 wt.% LA-doped TF > 1 wt.% LN-doped TF > 3 wt.% BN-doped TF > undoped TFs). The values of μ of the ZONRs-TFs can be customized by adjusting the doping contents, which in turn controls the thickness and morphology of the TFs. In short, the proposed new types of the LA-, LN- and BN-doped ZONRs-TFs may contribute towards the development of the prospective ionization radiation shielding materials.

The Influence of Variations in Synthesis Conditions on the Phase Composition, Strength and Shielding Characteristics of CuBi2O4 Films

“…At the same time, the use of these technological solutions makes it possible to solve the issue of protecting key components from the negative effects of ionizing radiation, as well as to reduce the load on the weight and dimensions of microcircuits, which plays a very important role in the case of spacecraft, since transporting each kilogram into orbit requires large amounts of fuel. Thin films play an important role in shielding not only various types of ionizing radiation (gamma, neutron or electron), but also in protecting against electromagnetic influence, which can lead to failures in microelectronic devices along with radiation damage [24,25].…”

Study on the Design, Preparation, and Performance Evaluation of Heat-Resistant Interlayer-Polyimide-Resin-Based Neutron-Shielding Materials

“…The requirement for shielding materials varies based on different types of nuclear radiation. Low-density materials such as PMMA, leaded glass, rubber products, fiber fabrics, and concrete are more often used to shield low-energy X-rays [3]; heavy metals such as iron, lead, and tungsten, as the reinforcing phase particles, are effective choices for γ-rays [4,5], and lead may also be replaced with alternative materials due to its chemical toxicity [6]; materials with high hydrogen content such as paraffin, polyethylene, and polypropylene are more effective as fast neutron moderator materials to shield neutrons. Materials containing boron or lithium elements such as elemental boron, boric acid, boron carbide, lithium bromide, and lithium fluoride can be used as excellent slow neutron absorbers.…”