• Energy Research

Radiation is the main safety issue for almost all nuclear applications, which must be controlled to protect living organisms and the surrounding materials. In this context, radiation shielding materials have been investigated and used in nuclear technologies. The choice of materials depends on the radiation usage area, type, and energy. Polymer materials are preferred in radiation shielding applications due to their superior characteristics such as chemical inertness, resistivity, low weight, flexibility, strength, and low cost. In the presented work, ABS polymer material, which is possibly the most commonly used material in 3D printers, is mixed with Gd2O3 and Er2O3 nanoparticles. ABS filaments containing these rare-earth elements are then produced using a filament extruder. These produced filaments are used in a 3D printer to create shielding samples. Following the production of shielding samples, SEM, EDS, and gamma-ray shielding analyses (including experiments, WinXCOM, GEANT4, and FLUKA) are performed. The results show that 3D printing technology offers significant enhancements in creating homogeneous and well-structured materials that can be effectively used in gamma-ray shielding applications.

Radiation is the main safety issue for almost all nuclear applications, which must be controlled to protect living organisms and the surrounding materials. In this context, radiation shielding materials have been investigated and used in nuclear technologies. The choice of materials depends on the radiation usage area, type, and energy. Polymer materials are preferred in radiation shielding applications due to their superior characteristics such as chemical inertness, resistivity, low weight, flexibility, strength, and low cost. In the presented work, ABS polymer material, which is possibly the most commonly used material in 3D printers, is mixed with Gd2O3 and Er2O3 nanoparticles. ABS filaments containing these rare-earth elements are then produced using a filament extruder. These produced filaments are used in a 3D printer to create shielding samples. Following the production of shielding samples, SEM, EDS, and gamma-ray shielding analyses (including experiments, WinXCOM, GEANT4, and FLUKA) are performed. The results show that 3D printing technology offers significant enhancements in creating homogeneous and well-structured materials that can be effectively used in gamma-ray shielding applications.

This study focuses on the comparative analysis of ABS polymer samples produced using two distinct manufacturing techniques: 3D printing and the sol-gel methods. In the first approach, ABS polymer was augmented with rare earth oxides, Er2O3 and Gd2O3, in nano powder form and fabricated into test specimens using 3D printing technology. In the second approach, identical samples were prepared via the sol-gel technique involving mold-based fabrication. Elemental content analysis revealed no significant differences between the samples produced by the two methods. The study proceeds to evaluate the gamma-ray shielding, neutron shielding, temperature resistance, and SEM/EDS pictures of ABS samples generated through both techniques. 3D printing method exhibited more favorable results in terms of structure morphology and thermal stability while there is no significant difference for radiation shielding. The results provide insights into the performance and suitability of each production method for radiation shielding applications. This research not only contributes to enhancing radiation shielding technology but also informs the selection of the most appropriate fabrication method for specific applications in nuclear technologies and diagnostic energy range in medical purposes.

This study focuses on the comparative analysis of ABS polymer samples produced using two distinct manufacturing techniques: 3D printing and the sol-gel methods. In the first approach, ABS polymer was augmented with rare earth oxides, Er2O3 and Gd2O3, in nano powder form and fabricated into test specimens using 3D printing technology. In the second approach, identical samples were prepared via the sol-gel technique involving mold-based fabrication. Elemental content analysis revealed no significant differences between the samples produced by the two methods. The study proceeds to evaluate the gamma-ray shielding, neutron shielding, temperature resistance, and SEM/EDS pictures of ABS samples generated through both techniques. 3D printing method exhibited more favorable results in terms of structure morphology and thermal stability while there is no significant difference for radiation shielding. The results provide insights into the performance and suitability of each production method for radiation shielding applications. This research not only contributes to enhancing radiation shielding technology but also informs the selection of the most appropriate fabrication method for specific applications in nuclear technologies and diagnostic energy range in medical purposes.

Abstract Different types of photon shielding parameters such as total mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), linear attenuation coefficients (μ), half value layers (HVL), mean free paths (MFP), effective atomic numbers (ZEff), energy absorption build-up factors (EABF), exposure build-up factors (EBF) and kerma relative to air were investigated for the fabricated Cu–Ag based alloys. The considered parameters were measured through gamma spectrometer equipped with HPGe detector in order to obtain the experimental attenuation coefficients and other related parameters at various photon energy in the energy range 59.5–1332.5 keV. The measured μ/ρ values were confirmed with WinXCOM database results. FLUKA and GEANT4 simulation codes were used to examine the compatibility of the experimental and WinXCOM database results with these simulation codes. The exposure buildup factors of the alloy samples were estimated with help of Geometric Progression fitting formula over photon energy 0.015–15 MeV up to 40 mfp penetration depth. The results revealed that the exhibited effectiveness of Cu0.2Ag0.8 alloys against high energetic photon radiations had a good performance than that of alternative absorbers such conventional concretes, glasses and some alloys. The results of the present survey can be quite useful for possible applications of such materials, especially in nuclear laboratory and reactor core design for preference of effective photon shielding materials.

Abstract Different types of photon shielding parameters such as total mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), linear attenuation coefficients (μ), half value layers (HVL), mean free paths (MFP), effective atomic numbers (ZEff), energy absorption build-up factors (EABF), exposure build-up factors (EBF) and kerma relative to air were investigated for the fabricated Cu–Ag based alloys. The considered parameters were measured through gamma spectrometer equipped with HPGe detector in order to obtain the experimental attenuation coefficients and other related parameters at various photon energy in the energy range 59.5–1332.5 keV. The measured μ/ρ values were confirmed with WinXCOM database results. FLUKA and GEANT4 simulation codes were used to examine the compatibility of the experimental and WinXCOM database results with these simulation codes. The exposure buildup factors of the alloy samples were estimated with help of Geometric Progression fitting formula over photon energy 0.015–15 MeV up to 40 mfp penetration depth. The results revealed that the exhibited effectiveness of Cu0.2Ag0.8 alloys against high energetic photon radiations had a good performance than that of alternative absorbers such conventional concretes, glasses and some alloys. The results of the present survey can be quite useful for possible applications of such materials, especially in nuclear laboratory and reactor core design for preference of effective photon shielding materials.

Abstract Polyester is strong and durable material and tends to retain its shape, thus polyester composites have become highly preferred option in high-tech applications. This motivates the usage of polyester composites in the production of radiation shielding materials as well. In present study, gamma ray shielding properties of polyester composite reinforced with different proportions of Cadmium Telluride (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The experiments were performed with the use of HPGe detector in a wide range of photon energies varying from 59.5 to 1408.0 keV while XCOM computer program was computed in the same photon energy range to obtain theoretical results and to verify the experimental outcomes. Remarkable radiation protection efficiency was obtained with additive material of Cadmium Telluride, and the radiation protection efficiency was found to be increased with the increase of additive material amount. Negligible discrepancies between experimental and theoretical results were also observed.