DoR - Division of Research

Title: Effect of bismuth oxide nanoparticles on the radiation shielding of bentonite clay using Fluka modeling calculations and simulation studying

Abstract: This research aims to evaluate the radiation shielding ability of fabricated bentonite clay doped with xBi₂O₃ nanoparticles (x = 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt%). Gamma-ray shielding parameters for the newly designed bentonite/Bi₂O₃ nanocomposites were calculated with the help of the Monte Carlo software (FLUKA), for photon energies ranging from 0.015 to 15 MeV. Five shielding parameters were measured including the nanocomposites' mass attenuation coefficient, effective atomic number, electron density, mean free path, and half-value layer. X-ray diffraction analysis, Energy dispersive X-ray and the scanning electron microscope were used to investigate the characteristics of the developed nanocomposites (structural and morphological), as well as those of the as-prepared Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles. The findings demonstrated that an increase in the amount of Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles in the bentonite clay matrix enhances the predicted gamma-ray shielding characteristics of the resulting nanocomposites. As a result, the sample of bentonite clay including 40 wt% Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles had the highest value for mass attenuation, effective atomic number, and electron density, and the lowest value of mean free path and half-value layer, of all the developed nanocomposites.