Multifunctional polymethyl methacrylate-Boron carbide/bismuth oxide composites for gamma, neutron, and charged...

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the characteristics of interactions between gamma rays, neutrons, electrons, and ions and polymethyl methacrylate reinforced with 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt % Bi₂O₃ in exchange for B₄C wt %. The density of the polymeric composites, which were designated S1 through S6, ranged from 1.178 to 1.807 g/cm³. The effectiveness of gamma attenuation was experimentally assessed using an HPGe detector and gamma sources of ²⁴¹Am, ¹³³Ba, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁶⁰Co, and ¹⁵²Eu. Additionally, Phy-X/PSD and Py-MLBUF software were used to calculate gamma attenuation criteria over a broad range of gamma energy (0.015-15 MeV). Phy-X/PSD, MRCScal, and the neutron calculator of transmission and scattering power are used to evaluate the fast neutron attenuation capabilities. The thermal neutron's total macroscopic cross sections were computed. For the composite with the highest B₄C content (S2), the highest FNRCS and MRCS values are 0.1156 and 0.130 cm^-1, respectively. Additionally, the SRIM Monte Carlo algorithm was used to assess the range (R) of selected accelerated ions with a wide energy range (0.01-20 MeV). Furthermore, the total stopping power (TSP) and continuous slowing down approximation (CSDA) range of an electron with energy ranging from 0.01 to 1000 MeV were computed using ESTAR NIST software. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) was found to rise along with the density as the content of Bi₂O₃ increased. The experimental and XCOM software-calculated MACs showed a respectable degree of consistency, with the RD% staying below 1.0803%. The S2 polymer composite showed the best thermal neutron attenuation capabilities.