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O'Connor A, Park C, Bolch WE, Enqvist A, Manuel MV. Designing lightweight neutron absorbing composites using a comprehensive absorber areal density metric. Appl Radiat Isot 2024; 206:111227. [PMID: 38382134 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Efforts to lightweight neutron absorbing composites are limited by incomplete understandings of the interaction between absorbing particles and their matrices. In this study, analytical models and a more physically representative simulation evaluated the penalty to neutron absorbing performance due to neutron channeling between large absorbing particles. Models and simulation agreed that B4C particles smaller than 100μm and especially those smaller than 10μm did not cause excessive neutron channeling. A more comprehensive neutron absorbing composite design metric - boron-10 equivalent areal density, which considers the particle size penalty and the matrix contribution to absorptivity - was introduced and used to estimate lightweighting via matrix substitution. Calculations using this new metric showed that a non-absorbing Mg matrix reduced mass by up to 35% over Al, constrained by the difference in mass density, while an absorbing Mg-Li matrix reduced mass by up to 60%, exceeding the difference in mass densities alone. Measurement of apparent absorber areal density through two experimental techniques - foil activation and direct counting - validated estimated absorber areal density as a neutron absorbing composite design metric. This updated understanding of the particle size penalty, newly introduced design metric, and experimental validation demonstrate a path to lightweight neutron absorbing composites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cheol Park
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA.
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Alabsy MT, Abbas MI, El-Khatib AY, El-Khatib AM. Attenuation properties of poly methyl methacrylate reinforced with micro/nano ZrO 2 as gamma-ray shields. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1279. [PMID: 38218742 PMCID: PMC10787785 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51551-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
This research aimed to examine the radiation shielding properties of unique polymer composites for medical and non-medical applications. For this purpose, polymer composites, based on poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) as a matrix, were prepared and reinforced with micro- and nanoparticles of ZrO2 fillers at a loading of 15%, 30%, and 45% by weight. Using the high purity germanium (HPGe) detector, the suggested polymer composites' shielding characteristics were assessed for various radioactive sources. The experimental values of the mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) of the produced composites agreed closely with those obtained theoretically from the XCOM database. Different shielding parameters were estimated at a broad range of photon energies, including the linear attenuation coefficient (μ), tenth value layer (TVL), half value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective electron density (Neff), effective atomic number (Zeff), and equivalent atomic number (Zeq), as well as exposure buildup factor (EBF) and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) to provide more shielding information about the penetration of γ-rays into the chosen composites. The results showed that increasing the content of micro and nano ZrO2 particles in the PMMA matrix increases μ values and decreases HVL, TVL, and MFP values. P-45nZ sample with 45 wt% of ZrO2 nanoparticles had the highest μ values, which varied between 2.6546 and 0.0991 cm-1 as γ-ray photon energy increased from 0.0595 to 1.408 MeV, respectively. Furthermore, the highest relative increase rate in μ values between nano and micro composites was 17.84%, achieved for the P-45nZ sample at 59.53 keV. These findings demonstrated that ZrO2 nanoparticles shield radiation more effectively than micro ZrO2 even at the same photon energy and filler wt%. Thus, the proposed nano ZrO2/PMMA composites can be used as effective shielding materials to lessen the transmitted radiation dose in radiation facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud T Alabsy
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud I Abbas
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt
| | - Alaa Y El-Khatib
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M El-Khatib
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt.
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Vegari A, Abdisaray A, Mostafanejad K, Jabbari N. High-density polyethylene (HDPE)-incorporated boron carbide and boric acid nanoparticles as a nanoshield of photoneutrons from medical linear accelerators. Int J Radiat Biol 2024; 100:609-618. [PMID: 38190436 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2023.2295964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The current study aimed to investigate boron carbide and boric acid nanoparticles (NPs) as absorbents for thermal neutrons and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a substrate and neutron moderator for fast neutrons. The goal was to assess the performance of boron carbide and boric acid NPs based on HDPE as a nanoshield of photoneutrons from medical linear accelerators. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted in two parts of simulation and practice. The Monte Carlo (MC) simulation involved modeling and verification of the single-layer, double-layer, and combined nanoshields by selecting nanomaterials and substrates and, finally, calculating the macroscopic cross-sections. The practical part involved manufacturing nanoshields based on the simulation results and evaluating the manufactured nanocomposites via experimental measurements. RESULTS MC simulation results with an uncertainty of less than 1% showed that for the monolayer samples, the best result belonged to boron carbide at a concentration of 10% and a macroscopic cross-section of 0.933 cm-1. At a concentration of 20%, the highest value among the double-layer samples was 0.936 cm-1 and for the combined samples, this value was 0.928 cm-1. Boron carbide single-layer nanocomposites at a 10% concentration, as well as the bilayer nanoshield of 10% boron carbide and 20% boric acid performed well; however, the best performance belonged to the nanoshield with a macroscopic cross-section of 0.960 and the combination containing 5% boron carbide and 10% boric acid. CONCLUSIONS The research suggests that utilizing boron carbide and boric acid nanoshields in combination with HDPE holds promise as a viable approach to protecting from the photoneutrons. Further exploration of these nanocomposite shields and their practical applications is warranted, with the potential to yield significant advancements in radiation therapy safety and efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Vegari
- Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Akbar Abdisaray
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
| | | | - Nasrollah Jabbari
- Solid Tumor Research Center, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
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El-Khatib AM, Doma AS, Abbas MI, Kashyout AEHB, Zaki MM, Saleh M, Alabsy MT. Novel slag/natural rubber composite as flexible material for protecting workers against radiation hazards. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13694. [PMID: 37608066 PMCID: PMC10444829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40846-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This work is an attempt to employ the electric arc furnace (EAF) slag as a by-product material to develop an alternative and environmentally friendly material for gamma-radiation protection applications such as in medical and industrial areas. For this purpose, different concentrations of micro-sized EAF slag (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 500, and 800 phr) were incorporated as fillers in the natural rubber (NR) matrix to produce the shielding composites. In addition, nano-sized EAF slag particles were prepared by using a high-energy ball milling technique to investigate the effect of particle size on the gamma-radiation shielding properties. The synthesized micro and nano EAF/NR composites were tested as protective materials against gamma-radiation by employing NaI(Tl) scintillation detector and standard radioactive point sources (152Eu, 137Cs, 133Ba, and 60Co). Different shielding parameters such as linear and mass attenuation coefficient, half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer, mean free path, effective atomic number (Zeff), and effective electron density (Neff) were determined to assess the radiation shielding capability of the EAF/NR composites. Furthermore, equivalent atomic number (Zeq) and the exposure buildup factor values for photon energy in the range from 0.015 to 15 MeV were also computed by Geometric Progression method. The experimental results of micro EAF/NR composites showed that at 121.78 keV, EAF0 composite (without EAF slag content) had the lowest μ value of 0.1695 cm-1, while the EAF800 composite (which was loaded with 800 phr of micro EAF slag) had the highest μ value of 0.2939 cm-1 at the same energy, which in turn decreases the HVL from 4.09 to 2.36 cm, respectively. Therefore, increasing the filler weight fractions of EAF slag in the NR matrix, increases the shielding properties of the composites. Moreover, the NR composite reinforced with 800 phr of nano EAF slag has better gamma-radiation shielding efficiency compared to that filled with 800 phr of micro EAF slag. The success of this work was to prepare a flexible, lightweight, low-cost, and lead-free material with better shielding capability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed M El-Khatib
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt.
| | - A S Doma
- Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute (ATNMRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg Al-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud I Abbas
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt
| | - Abd El-Hady B Kashyout
- Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute (ATNMRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg Al-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt
| | | | - Moamen Saleh
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud T Alabsy
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt
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Abdel Maksoud MIA, Kassem SM, Ashour AH, Awed AS. Recycled high-density polyethylene plastic reinforced with ilmenite as a sustainable radiation shielding material. RSC Adv 2023; 13:20698-20708. [PMID: 37435369 PMCID: PMC10332129 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra03757f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- M I A Abdel Maksoud
- Radiation Physics Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) Cairo Egypt
| | - Said M Kassem
- Radiation Protection and Dosimetry Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) Cairo Egypt
| | - A H Ashour
- Radiation Physics Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) Cairo Egypt
| | - A S Awed
- Higher Institute for Engineering and Technology at Manzala Egypt
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Alabsy MT, Elzaher MA. Radiation shielding performance of metal oxides/EPDM rubber composites using Geant4 simulation and computational study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7744. [PMID: 37173378 PMCID: PMC10182101 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34615-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper aimed to evaluate the shielding performance of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber composites filled with 200 phr of different metal oxides (either Al2O3, CuO, CdO, Gd2O3, or Bi2O3) as protective materials against gamma and neutron radiations. For this purpose, different shielding parameters, including the linear attenuation coefficient (μ), mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), mean free path (MFP), half value layer (HVL), and tenth value layer (TVL), were calculated in the energy range between 0.015 and 15 MeV by using the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit. The simulated μ/ρ values were validated by the XCOM software to examine the precision of the simulated results. The maximum relative deviation between the Geant4 simulation and XCOM was not greater than 1.41%, confirming the accuracy of the simulated results. Based on μ/ρ values, other significant shielding parameters such as effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), equivalent atomic number (Zeq), and exposure buildup factor (EBF) were also computed to explore the potential usage of the proposed metal oxide/EPDM rubber composites as radiation protective materials. The study demonstrates that the gamma-radiation shielding performance of the proposed metal oxide/EPDM rubber composites are increasing in the order of EPDM < Al2O3/EPDM < CuO/EPDM < CdO/EPDM < Gd2O3/EPDM < Bi2O3/EPDM. Furthermore, three sudden increases in the shielding capability in some composites occur at 0.0267 MeV for CdO/EPDM, 0.0502 MeV for Gd2O3/EPDM, and 0.0905 MeV for Bi2O3/EPDM composites. This increase in the shielding performance is due to the K absorption edges of Cd, Gd, and Bi, respectively. Regarding the neutron shielding performance, the macroscopic effective removal cross-section for fast neutrons (ƩR) was evaluated for the investigated composites using MRCsC software. The highest ƩR is obtained for Al2O3/EPDM, while the lowest ƩR is obtained for EPDM rubber with no metal oxide content. According to the obtained results, the investigated metal oxide/EPDM rubber composites can be employed as comfortable clothing and gloves designed for workers in radiation facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud T Alabsy
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21511, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Abd Elzaher
- Department of Basic and Applied Science, Faculty of Engineering, Arab Academy for Science, Technology, P.O 1129, AL Alamien, Egypt.
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Particle Loading as a Design Parameter for Composite Radiation Shielding. NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2022.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Radiation shielding and enhanced thermal characteristics of high-density polyethylene reinforced with Al (OH)3/Pb2O3 for radioactive waste management. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2022.109976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Evaluation of the Effect of Different Nano-Size of WO3 on the Structural and Mechanical Properties of HDPE. J Inorg Organomet Polym Mater 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10904-021-02219-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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