Simulation of Radiation Absorption Capacity of HAP-ZnO Composite Materials

Abstract

Radiation is an important phenomenon, and it is related to different fields and thus its hazardous effect should be minimized. Radiation protection and radiation dosimetry are developed in order to determine radiation limit values to minimize this hazardous effect. Thus, with other time and distance methods for radiation protection, shielding is the most important way in this purpose. Lead and lead-based materials have been conventional materials for radiation shielding and nowadays alternative materials have been started to be developed and used. For example besides different materials composite materials are under study as alternative to lead and lead-based materials. In this work, the radiation shielding parameters of four different types of hydroxyapatite (HAP) composite and the effect of ZnO on the radiation shielding properties of HAP have been investigated. The materials are selected as (100 - x)HAP + xZnO composite, where x = 0, 1, 4, and 7.5 wt%. The simulations were done to obtain mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mean free path (mfp), half value length (HVL), tenth value length (TVL), Atomic cross section (ACS), electronic cross section (ECS), effective atomic number (Z(eff)), Effective electron density (N-eff), effective conductivity (C-eff) and fast neutron removal cross section (FNRCS) using Phy-X/PSD code. It was found in study that addiation of ZnO into HAP composite improved gamma radiation shielding properties. It was also seen this effect for neutron shielding properties.