Monte Carlo Calculation of linear attenuation coefficients and photon scattering properties of novel concretes loaded with Osmium, Iridium and Barite nanoparticles

Abstract Introduction: Recent studies have shown that the use of high-density nanoparticles (NPs) in concrete composition improves its radiation shielding properties. In the present study, the linear attenuation coefficients and photon scattering properties of newly developed high-density Nano-concretes have been calculated using the MCNPX Monte Carlo code. Material and methods: The shielding properties of Nano-concretes containing 10%, 20%, and 30% weight percentage of Osmium, Iridium and Barite NPs (100 nm) as well as ordinary concrete were investigated. The 6 and 18 MV photon beams of Varian Linac and 60Co photons were used for simulation. Photon scattering flux was calculated for all Nano-concretes with 30 wt% of NPs and ordinary concrete at different angles. Results: In general, by adding Iridium, Osmium and Barite NPs to ordinary concrete, the linear attenuation coefficients increased. Despite a lower density relative to Iridium and Osmium, Nano-concretes containing Barite exhibited a higher linear attenuation coefficient due to their higher electron density. Conclusions: The results revealed a dependence between the scattered photon flux and the effective atomic number of Nano-concretes. With increasing the atomic number of fillers, the intensity of the scattered photon flux enlarged. Also, the scattered flux was higher for all types of concretes at 180 degrees relative to other angles.