Radiation attenuation properties of chemically prepared MgO nanoparticles/HDPE composites

Sheets of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) loaded with magnesium oxide in micro and nano were synthesized with different weight percentages of micro-MgO (0,5,10,20 and 30% by weight) and nano-MgO (5 and 30%) and shaped in form of disc and dog bone shape. The morphological, mechanical, and attenuation characteristics of each concentration were determined. The linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) of the prepared discs were calculated using a well-calibrated scintillation detector and five standard gamma-ray point sources (²⁴¹Am, ¹³³Ba, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁶⁰Co and ¹⁵²Eu). The LAC was theoretically calculated for HDPE/micro-MgO composites using XCOM software. A good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results was observed. The comparison between micro and nano-MgO as a filler in HDPE was evaluated. The results proved that the loaded nano-MgO in different proportions of HDPE produced greater attenuation coefficients than its micro counterpart. The addition of nano MgO with different weight percentage led to a significant improvement in the mechanical properties of HDPE, the ultimate force and ultimate stress increased as the concentration of nano MgO increased, and the young modulus of HDPE also increased with increasing concentration of micro and nano MgO.