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<p>In the current study, we investigate the performance of polyurethane foam loaded with an equal combination of boron carbide (B<sub>4</sub>C) and lead oxide (PbO) to develop a dual functional polymer composite for radiation shielding applications. The fabricated composite was investigated using a customized gamma setup with a <sup>137</sup>Cs gamma source, and the results were validated through Monte Carlo–based simulations employing MCNP6 and GEANT4 codes. In addition, the samples were examined using a designed neutron setup to evaluate their thermal neutron and secondary gamma attenuation properties. The secondary gamma rays, originating from the Am–Be neutron spectrum (up to approximately 4.4&#xa0;MeV), were modeled using the MCNP6 code. Both gamma and neutron setups showed consistent results regarding the radiation attenuation ability of the polyurethane@B<sub>4</sub>C/PbO composite. In the gamma experiments, adding only 0.5% of each filler increased the linear attenuation by more than 30%, and increasing the filler concentration up to 5% raised this improvement to over 80%. Similarly, the half-value layer decreased from 5.5&#xa0;cm for pure polyurethane to 2.25&#xa0;cm for the composite with 5% filler concentration, representing a 60% reduction. In the simulated neutron setup, the linear attenuation coefficient of neutron increased by 20% with 5% filler, and the mean free path decreased 17%. Meanwhile, the linear attenuation coefficient of secondary gamma increased by 30% (from 0.15 to 0.195), and the mean free path decreased by approximately 23%. Overall, both simulation and experiment results demonstrated promising neutron and gamma attenuation, confirming the potential of the PbO/B₄C–PU composite as a dual-purpose shielding material for both gamma and neutron protection in various applications.</p>

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Development and evaluation of PU@PbO/B4C composite for gamma and neutron radiation shielding

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月8日

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  • Mahdieh Mokhtari Dorostkar,
  • Akbar Abdi Saray

摘要

In the current study, we investigate the performance of polyurethane foam loaded with an equal combination of boron carbide (B4C) and lead oxide (PbO) to develop a dual functional polymer composite for radiation shielding applications. The fabricated composite was investigated using a customized gamma setup with a 137Cs gamma source, and the results were validated through Monte Carlo–based simulations employing MCNP6 and GEANT4 codes. In addition, the samples were examined using a designed neutron setup to evaluate their thermal neutron and secondary gamma attenuation properties. The secondary gamma rays, originating from the Am–Be neutron spectrum (up to approximately 4.4 MeV), were modeled using the MCNP6 code. Both gamma and neutron setups showed consistent results regarding the radiation attenuation ability of the polyurethane@B4C/PbO composite. In the gamma experiments, adding only 0.5% of each filler increased the linear attenuation by more than 30%, and increasing the filler concentration up to 5% raised this improvement to over 80%. Similarly, the half-value layer decreased from 5.5 cm for pure polyurethane to 2.25 cm for the composite with 5% filler concentration, representing a 60% reduction. In the simulated neutron setup, the linear attenuation coefficient of neutron increased by 20% with 5% filler, and the mean free path decreased 17%. Meanwhile, the linear attenuation coefficient of secondary gamma increased by 30% (from 0.15 to 0.195), and the mean free path decreased by approximately 23%. Overall, both simulation and experiment results demonstrated promising neutron and gamma attenuation, confirming the potential of the PbO/B₄C–PU composite as a dual-purpose shielding material for both gamma and neutron protection in various applications.