Balancing photon attenuation and neutron absorption in BaSO4/B(OH)3-reinforced natural rubber composites apply for medical radiation shielding

IF 2.1 3区工程技术 Q3 CHEMISTRY, INORGANIC & NUCLEAR

Applied Radiation and Isotopes Pub Date : 2027-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-10-15 DOI:10.1016/j.apradiso.2026.113014

Natsupon Chutithanapanon, Tharanin Panyachan, Nathapong Sukhawipat, Wichain Chailad, Sorapong Pavasupree, Chadet Yenchai, Jennifer Rodon-Fores, Siriprapa Kaewjaeng

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Abstract

This study investigates BaSO₄/B(OH)₃ hybrid natural rubber composites designed for the combined attenuation of photon and neutron radiation in medical region energies. Peroxide-crosslinked natural rubber was incorporated with a fixed total loading of 150 phr, while the BaSO₄/B(OH)₃ ratio was systematically varied to elucidate the composition–property correlations influencing radiation shielding efficacy. Shore A hardness was evaluated to determine the impact of the hybrid fillers on resistance to localized indentation. Photon attenuation was experimentally assessed at 60, 122, and 342 keV with ²⁴¹Am, ⁵⁷Co, and ¹³³Ba sources, respectively, with 342 keV regarded as the effective energy corresponding to the nominal 356 keV emission of ¹³³Ba. The linear and mass attenuation coefficients were compared with WinXCOM and Phy-X/PSD calculations, while the photon interaction characteristics were further analyzed using the half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number, effective electron density, buildup factors, and photon kerma coefficient. Neutron attenuation was evaluated utilizing a paraffin-moderated ²⁴¹Am/Be source and a ³He proportional counter, employing bare and cadmium-covered observations to estimate the effective thermal and non-thermal neutron components. The enhancement of the BaSO₄ content improved composite density, Shore A hardness, and photon attenuation, especially at 60 keV, due to the significant influence of photoelectric absorption from high-Z barium. The elevated photon energies, the distinctions among the formulations diminished as Compton scattering increasingly dominated the interaction response. Conversely, increasing the B(OH)₃ concentration enhanced effective thermal-neutron attenuation due to boron-assisted capture subsequent to moderation by the hydrogen-rich rubber matrix. The findings indicate a distinct compositional equilibrium between photon attenuation, thermal-neutron attenuation, and hardness, underscoring BaSO₄/B(OH)₃ filled natural rubber as a potential material for mixed-radiation shielding applications in medical filled.

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平衡BaSO4/B(OH)3增强天然橡胶复合材料的光子衰减和中子吸收应用于医疗辐射屏蔽。

研究了用于医学区域能量光子和中子辐射联合衰减的BaSO4/B(OH)3杂化天然橡胶复合材料。在固定总负载为150 phr的情况下，加入过氧化物交联天然橡胶，系统地改变BaSO4/B(OH)3的比例，以阐明影响辐射屏蔽效果的成分-性能相关性。评估邵氏硬度，以确定混合填料对抗局部压痕的影响。用241Am、57Co和133Ba源分别在60,122和342 keV下进行了光子衰减实验，其中342 keV作为133Ba标称356 keV发射对应的有效能量。利用WinXCOM和Phy-X/PSD计算比较了线性衰减系数和质量衰减系数，并利用半值层（HVL）、平均自由程（MFP）、有效原子序数、有效电子密度、累积因子和光子kerma系数进一步分析了光子相互作用特性。利用石蜡慢化的241Am/Be源和3He比例计数器评估中子衰减，采用裸和镉覆盖观测来估计有效热中子和非热中子成分。BaSO4含量的增加提高了复合材料的密度、邵氏硬度和光子衰减，特别是在60 keV时，由于高z钡的光电吸收的显著影响。随着光子能量的增加，不同形式之间的差异减小，康普顿散射逐渐主导相互作用响应。相反，B(OH)3浓度的增加增强了热中子的有效衰减，这是由于硼辅助捕获导致的，随后是富氢橡胶基体的缓和。研究结果表明，在光子衰减、热中子衰减和硬度之间存在明显的成分平衡，强调了BaSO4/B(OH)3填充天然橡胶作为混合辐射屏蔽材料在医疗填充中的潜在应用。

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来源期刊

Applied Radiation and Isotopes 工程技术-核科学技术

CiteScore

3.00

自引率

12.50%

发文量

406

审稿时长

13.5 months

期刊介绍： Applied Radiation and Isotopes provides a high quality medium for the publication of substantial, original and scientific and technological papers on the development and peaceful application of nuclear, radiation and radionuclide techniques in chemistry, physics, biochemistry, biology, medicine, security, engineering and in the earth, planetary and environmental sciences, all including dosimetry. Nuclear techniques are defined in the broadest sense and both experimental and theoretical papers are welcome. They include the development and use of α- and β-particles, X-rays and γ-rays, neutrons and other nuclear particles and radiations from all sources, including radionuclides, synchrotron sources, cyclotrons and reactors and from the natural environment. The journal aims to publish papers with significance to an international audience, containing substantial novelty and scientific impact. The Editors reserve the rights to reject, with or without external review, papers that do not meet these criteria. Papers dealing with radiation processing, i.e., where radiation is used to bring about a biological, chemical or physical change in a material, should be directed to our sister journal Radiation Physics and Chemistry.