Radiation attenuation properties of some commercial polymers for advanced shielding applications at low energies

TLDR

Radiation is widely used in technology, and effective shielding is urgently needed to protect humans from its harmful effects. This study evaluates the radiation shielding performance of four commercially available polymers: poly(N‑isopropylacrylamide), polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and polycarbonate. Gamma‑ray attenuation parameters—including LAC, HVL, MFP, and neutron cross sections—were calculated with Geant4, PHITS, and XCOM across 0.01–0.1 MeV. Polyethylene terephthalate exhibited the highest LAC at 0.1 MeV, while polystyrene had the lowest at 0.01 MeV; the polymers’ HVLs and MFPs closely matched those of concrete and commercial glass, indicating their suitability for gamma and neutron shielding.

Abstract

As radiation is an essential tool in various technological applications, searching for a suitable shield is an urgent demand to minimize its damaging effects on human beings. In this research article, we report on the radiation shielding properties of some commercially available polymers namely poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and polycarbonate (denoted by P1, P2, P3, and P4, respectively). The gamma ray attenuation parameters are calculated using the Geant4 simulation, PHITS code, and XCOM program. Half value layer (HVL), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), gamma dose rate at different energy levels, mean free path (MFP), specific gamma ray constant, effective atomic number ( Z eff ) and effective electron density ( N eff ), removal cross section for fast neutron, and total cross section for thermal neutron are investigated at energies of 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.1 MeV. The results indicate that the highest LAC values were observed for P2 polymer at 0.1 MeV, while the lowest LAC values were noted for P3 polymer at 0.01 MeV among the studied commercial polymers. The total cross sections of thermal neutrons for the investigated polymers change from 24.0717 to 31.8611 cm −1 . Moreover, the MFPs and HVLs of the investigated polymers were very close to those of ordinary concrete and RS‐253‐G18 commercial glass, especially at the low energies. This suggests the utility of using the present polymer samples for shielding applications against gamma and/or neutron radiations.