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Research Paper | Nuclear Research | Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2026 | Pages: 717 - 720 | Saudi Arabia
Radiation Shielding Properties of Red Clay-Bi2O3 and Epoxy-ZrO2-B2O3 Composites Against Fast and Thermal Neutrons
Abstract: This study evaluates the multi-energy neutron shielding performance of two distinct lead-free polymer composite systems: a red clay-epoxy matrix reinforced with bismuth oxide Bi2O3 nanoparticles (ERB series) and an epoxy resin modified with zirconium and boron oxides ZrO2-B2O3 nanoparticles (PBT series). Computational model was executed across key composite configurations to investigate fast neutron removal dynamics (2 MeV to 14 MeV) alongside thermal neutron capture behavior. For fast neutrons, the ERB series demonstrated a clear performance advantage over the PBT series; within this group, the ERB30 sample (30 wt% Bi2O3) achieved the highest macroscopic removal cross section (ΣR), reaching a localized maximum near 4 MeV with a minimized mean free path (λFN) of ~ 6.2 cm and a half-value layer (HVLFN) of ~ 4.3 cm. This stands in contrast to the PBT series, where the systematic displacement of light hydrogen atoms by heavy ZrO2 content tightly clustered and restricted fast neutron removal efficiency. For thermal neutrons, the ERB series maintained its superior shielding trend under the evaluated modeling parameters. The total macroscopic absorption cross section (Σa) climbed significantly from 3.45 cm-1 for ERB10 up to a maximum of 10.75cm-1 for ERB30, outperforming the PBT series which exhibited localized values ranging between 2.61 cm-1 and 2.88 cm-1. Consequently, the ERB30 composite exhibited an exceptionally tight thermal mean free path (λTN < 0.10 cm) and required a total penetration depth (x99%) of just 0.43 cm to safely capture 99% of incident thermal flux. These comparative insights prove that strategically optimizing high-Z nanoparticle packing fractions within a dense silicate red clay-epoxy matrix yields a highly effective, space-saving design architecture ideal for complex dual-radiation shielding applications.
Keywords: Epoxy/ ZrO2 / Bi2O 3 NPs/ fast and thermal neutrons /shielding/ OpenMC
How to Cite?: A. M. Ali, "Radiation Shielding Properties of Red Clay-Bi2O3 and Epoxy-ZrO2-B2O3 Composites Against Fast and Thermal Neutrons", Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 717-720, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26613065022, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26613065022