Work

Sustainable radiation protection epoxy with calcined clay and recycled metallic waste additives: Analysis of structural, thermal, and gamma-ray shielding

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This work seeks to develop new low-cost and lead-free polymeric materials with suitable γ-ray shielding efficiency for radiation protection uses. The mentioned polymeric composites were fabricated as a mixture of epoxy resin, calcined clay, and recycled metallic waste powder. Composites were prepared according to using the formula of (100-x-y) epoxy + x calcined clay + y metallic waste, where x takes values of 0, 50, 40, 30, and 10 wt%, while y takes values of y = 0, 0, 10, 20, and 40 wt%. The X-ray diffractometer identified the amorphous and crystalline structure of the prepared composites. Furthermore, the absorption bands that appear as a result of the addition of calcined clay and recycled metallic waste powder within the fabricated composites were detected by the FTIR spectrometer. Additional structural parameters, including the porosity, pore volume, and water absorption factor, were all measured for the prepared composites. The measurements depict that the porosity, pore volume, and water absorption factor are increased as the recycled metallic waste powder increases, while they are reduced as the calcined clay concentration rises within the prepared composites. Additionally, the experimental measurements for the linear attenuation coefficient of fabricated composites were performed using the NaI (Tl) detector. The measured linear attenuation coefficients for the fabricated composites match those simulated utilizing the Monte Carlo simulation. The examination confirms that composites with a high content of calcined clay (E50C50) have the highest shielding performance among the fabricated samples. Its linear attenuation coefficient reaches 0.338 ± 0.005 cm −1 and 0.108 ± 0.002 cm −1 at 0.0595 and 0.662 MeV, respectively.

Source: Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.1016/j.jrras.2025.102057

Authors: A.M. Abu El-Soad, Mohammad W. Marashdeh, K.A. Mahmoud

Institutions: Nuclear Materials Authority, Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Ural Federal University

Language: English

Topic: Radiation Shielding Materials Analysis

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,400