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Advances in Emerging Radiation Shielding Materials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2022) | Viewed by 10313

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Department of Applied Physics, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Interests: radiation shielding materials; advanced ceramics; nanomaterials; photocatalytic materials; novel materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Radiation shielding materials generally have a high atomic number (Z) because the mass attenuation coefficients generally increase as the Z of the absorber increases. The photoelectric interactions are increased in high-Z materials especially for low-energy photons, and high-Z materials yield more pair production interactions for high-energy photons. Because of the high-Z effect, lead has been commonly used as a shielding material in medical radiology departments. Lead‐based protective materials are also used by clinical personnel during X‐ray image‐guided interventional radiology procedures. However, lead is extremely toxic, and prolonged exposure to it can result in serious health concerns. In view of this, polymer-matrix composites have been designed to be lead‐free in addition to being lightweight, conformable, cost effective, and potentially capable of significantly attenuating X‐rays. Other matrices such as concrete, cementitious materials or tungsten have been developed as lead‐free radiation‐protection materials in the walls and roofs of hospital rooms, nuclear power stations, and accelerators which house X-ray, γ-ray, or neutron particle production instruments. These facilities should be insulated against radiation so that dangerous rays are prevented from passing through into the outside environment. The design of a shielding material is heavily dependent on factors such as radiation type, the activity of the source, and the dose rate in addition to its ease of fabrication, cost, and weight.

Prof. Dr. It-Meng (Jim) Low
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • radiation shielding
  • mass attenuation coefficients
  • X-rays
  • γ-rays
  • neutrons
  • photoelectric interactions
  • lead-free
  • polymer–matrix composites
  • concrete
  • cement

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2682 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Shielding Material Dispersion Characteristics and Shielding Efficiency for Manufacturing Medical X-ray Shielding Barriers
by Seon-Chil Kim
Materials 2022, 15(17), 6075; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15176075 - 1 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2019
Abstract
During medical diagnoses, X-ray shielding barriers are used to protect against direct and indirect X-rays. Currently, lead is used as the primary material for shielding barriers; however, the demand for eco-friendly shielding barriers has been increasing. Conventionally, shielding barriers are manufactured using a [...] Read more.
During medical diagnoses, X-ray shielding barriers are used to protect against direct and indirect X-rays. Currently, lead is used as the primary material for shielding barriers; however, the demand for eco-friendly shielding barriers has been increasing. Conventionally, shielding barriers are manufactured using a mechanically bonded combination of lead and aluminum; however, in this study, a plastic-based injection-molded product was developed using tungsten as an eco-friendly alternative to lead. A new process technology was required for mixing tungsten—which can be difficult to process—with a polymer. Consequently, the mixing conditions within the injection molding machine and the related compounding technology factors were analyzed. The process technology considered the pre-mixing method using powdery polymer, particle dispersion method, number of screw rotations, and amount of filler input. The product’s shielding performance was then analyzed. The tungsten content of the 2-mm thick barrier manufactured using the proposed method was 90 wt%, and the lead equivalent was 0.321 mmPb. To increase the effectiveness of injection molding in the manufacturing process, specific hourly compounding conditions were proposed. Consequently, the process technology method developed in this study can be considered suitable for manufacturing various shielding barriers. Full article
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10 pages, 2288 KiB  
Article
Design and Gamma-Ray Attenuation Features of New Concrete Materials for Low- and Moderate-Photons Energy Protection Applications
by Dalal A. Aloraini, M. Y. Hanfi, M. I. Sayyed, K. A. Naseer, Aljawhara H. Almuqrin, P. Tamayo, O. L. Tashlykov and K. A. Mahmoud
Materials 2022, 15(14), 4947; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15144947 - 15 Jul 2022
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 2185
Abstract
We aimed, in this investigation, to prepare novel concretes which can be used in gamma-ray shielding applications. The experimental approach was performed using a NaI (Tl) detector to measure the concrete’s shielding features for different energies, ranging from 0.081 MeV to 1.408 MeV. [...] Read more.
We aimed, in this investigation, to prepare novel concretes which can be used in gamma-ray shielding applications. The experimental approach was performed using a NaI (Tl) detector to measure the concrete’s shielding features for different energies, ranging from 0.081 MeV to 1.408 MeV. The density of the fabricated concretes decreased with increasing W/C ratio, where the density decreased by 2.680 g/cm3, 2.614 g/cm3, and 2.564 g/cm3 for concretes A, B, and C, respectively, with increases in the W/C ratio of 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8, respectively. When the energy was elevated between 0.08 MeV and 1.408 MeV, the highest values were attained for concrete A, with values ranging between 0.451 cm−1 and 0.179 cm−1. The lowest half-value layer (Δ0.5) values were achieved for concrete C, where the Δ0.5 values varied between 1.53 cm and 3.86 cm between 0.08 MeV and 1.408 MeV. The highest Δ0.5 values were achieved for concrete A, where the Δ0.5 varied between 1.77 cm and 4.67 cm between 0.08 MeV and 1.408 MeV. According to this investigation, concrete A has the highest promise in radiation shielding purposes because it has the most desirable properties of the concretes studied. Full article
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11 pages, 1422 KiB  
Article
Influence of ZnF2 and WO3 on Radiation Attenuation Features of Oxyfluoride Tellurite WO3-ZnF2-TeO2 Glasses Using Phy-X/PSD Software
by Aljawhara H. Almuqrin and M. I. Sayyed
Materials 2022, 15(6), 2285; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15062285 - 19 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1842
Abstract
The radiation shielding features of the ternary oxyfluoride tellurite glasses were studied by calculating different shielding factors. The effect of the TeO2, WO3, and ZnF2 on the tested glass system’s attenuating performance was predicted from the examination. The mass [...] Read more.
The radiation shielding features of the ternary oxyfluoride tellurite glasses were studied by calculating different shielding factors. The effect of the TeO2, WO3, and ZnF2 on the tested glass system’s attenuating performance was predicted from the examination. The mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ) values for the oxyfluoride tellurite glasses depend highly on the concentration of WO3, as well as ZnF2. All the present ZnFWTe1-ZnFWTe5 samples have higher µ/ρ values than that of the pure TeO2 glass at all energies. For the samples with a fixed content of WO3, the replacement of TeO2 by ZnF2 increases the µ/ρ, while for the glasses with a fixed content of TeO2, the replacement of WO3 by ZnF2 results in a decline in the µ/ρ values. The results revealed that ZnFWTe4 has the lowest linear attenuation coefficient (µ) among the oxyfluoride tellurite glasses, whereby it has a slightly higher value than pure TeO2 glass. The maximum effective atomic number (Zeff) is found at 0.284 MeV and varied between 31.75 and 34.30 for the tested glasses; it equaled to 30.29 for the pure TeO2 glass. The half-value layer (HVL) of the glasses showed a gradual decline with increasing density. The pure TeO2 was revealed to have thicker HVL than the selected oxyfluoride tellurite glasses. A 1.901-cm thickness of the sample, ZnFWTe1, is required to decrease the intensity of a photon with an energy of 0.284 MeV to one-tenth of its original, whereas 1.936, 1.956, 2.212, and 2.079 cm are required for glasses ZnFWTe2, ZnFWTe3, ZnFWTe4, and ZnFWTe5, respectively. Full article
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16 pages, 8317 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Properties and Gamma Radiation Transmission Rate of Heavyweight Concrete Containing Barite Aggregates
by Baitollah Badarloo, Petr Lehner and Rooholah Bakhtiari Doost
Materials 2022, 15(6), 2173; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15062173 - 15 Mar 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2998
Abstract
The primary objective of this research was to study the transmission of gamma radiation from heavyweight concrete containing barite aggregates. For this purpose, cylindrical and cubic specimens were produced for 10 mix designs. The mix designs containing different percentages of barite aggregates were [...] Read more.
The primary objective of this research was to study the transmission of gamma radiation from heavyweight concrete containing barite aggregates. For this purpose, cylindrical and cubic specimens were produced for 10 mix designs. The mix designs containing different percentages of barite aggregates were calculated; five mix designs were also calculated for the compressive strength of 25 MPa, while five of them were designed for the compressive strength of 35 MPa to study the influence of the compressive strength rate on the reduction in gamma radiation transmission. The results indicated that both compressive and tensile strength was decreased by increasing the ratio of barite aggregates. The rate in reduction of compressive strength and especially tensile strength in concrete C35 was less than in concrete C25. The use of barite aggregates increased the attenuation coefficient of concrete. The attenuation coefficient in C35 concrete increased more than that in C25 upon increasing the amount of barite aggregate. By increasing the thickness of concrete with different percentages of barite, the rate of radiation loss in different samples was closer. The difference in the rate of radiation loss at a thickness of 150 mm was not much different from that at a thickness of 100 mm, whereas it was considerably decreased at a thickness of 300 mm. The test results indicated that the reduction in the gamma transmission rate is significantly dependent on the density of concrete. Full article
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