Advances in Emerging Radiation Shielding Materials: Synthesis, Properties and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Radiation shielding materials generally have a high atomic number (Z) because the mass attenuation coefficients generally increase as the Z of the absorber increases. The photoelectric interactions are increased in high-Z materials especially for low-energy photons, and high-Z materials yield more pair production interactions for high-energy photons. Because of the high-Z effect, lead has been commonly used as a shielding material in medical radiology departments. Lead‐based protective materials are also used by clinical personnel during X‐ray image‐guided interventional radiology procedures. However, lead is extremely toxic, and prolonged exposure to it can result in serious health concerns. In view of this, polymer-matrix composites have been designed to be lead‐free in addition to being lightweight, conformable, cost effective, and potentially capable of significantly attenuating X‐rays. Other matrices such as concrete, cementitious materials or tungsten have been developed as lead‐free radiation‐protection materials in the walls and roofs of hospital rooms, nuclear power stations, and accelerators which house X-ray, γ-ray, or neutron particle production instruments. These facilities should be insulated against radiation so that dangerous rays are prevented from passing through into the outside environment. The design of a shielding material is heavily dependent on factors such as radiation type, the activity of the source, and the dose rate in addition to its ease of fabrication, cost, and weight.

Prof. Dr. It-Meng (Jim) Low
Guest Editor

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