Experimental investigation on the physical properties and radiation shielding efficiency of YBa2Cu3Oy/M@M3O4 (M= Co, Mn) ceramic composites

The widespread use of ionizing radiation in our lives in various fields has led to an increased demand for effective methods of reducing its risks. The investigation of non-toxic, cost-effective, and high-efficiency attenuation materials for radiation protection is developing as a required approach to solving the harmful effect of gamma radiation. In this study, three kinds of YBCO ceramic mixed with transition metal oxides M3O4 (where M=Co, Mn) have been proposed to evaluate their radiation shielding performances. The three ceramics were successfully prepared by the solid-state reaction route. The ceramic composites were examined by XRD and UV-Vis spectrometer techniques for structural and optical properties. The value of the crystallite size D was found to be 39.21 nm, 26.20 nm, and 25.88 nm for Y/Co, YCo/Co, and YMn/Mn ceramic composites, respectively. The porosity percent is minimal for YCo/Co ceramic composite (3.61%) compared to the other prepared ones. The radiation shielding parameters were experimentally measured. YCo/Co sample has the lowest transmitted factor, which indicates that it is the best attenuator. The linear attenuation coefficient for the prepared composites was also determined and the maximum LAC is observed at 0.356 MeV (with an average value of 0.7 cm(-1)). The tenth value layer was also evaluated and according to this parameter, we need a layer of about 3 cm to attenuate the photons with the energy of 0.356 MeV, and a layer of 5 cm to attenuate 90% of the intensity of the photons with energy of 0.662 MeV. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the current ceramic composites have a promising future for their use as shielding materials against low-energy radiation. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The widespread use of ionizing radiation has increased the demand for effective methods of reducing its risks. This study proposes the use of YBCO ceramic mixed with transition metal oxides for radiation shielding. The ceramic composites were successfully prepared and their structural and optical properties were examined. The results show that the current ceramic composites have potential for use as shielding materials against low-energy radiation.