Wang Kangbao, Ma Litao, Yang Chen, Bian Zeyu, Zhang Dongdong, Cui Shuai, Wang Mingliang, Chen Zhe, Li Xianfeng
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Materials (Basel). 2023 Jun 10;16(12):4305. doi: 10.3390/ma16124305.
With the rising demand for nuclear energy, the storage/transportation of radioactive nuclear by-products are critical safety issues for humans and the environment. These by-products are closely related to various nuclear radiations. In particular, neutron radiation requires specific protection by neutron shielding materials due to its high penetrating ability to cause irradiation damage. Herein, a basic overview of neutron shielding is presented. Since gadolinium (Gd) has the largest thermal neutron capture cross-section among various neutron absorbing elements, it is an ideal neutron absorber for shielding applications. In the last two decades, there have been many newly developed Gd-containing (i.e., inorganic nonmetallic-based, polymer-based, and metallic-based) shielding materials developed to attenuate and absorb the incident neutrons. On this basis, we present a comprehensive review of the design, processing methods, microstructure characteristics, mechanical properties, and neutron shielding performance of these materials in each category. Furthermore, current challenges for the development and application of shielding materials are discussed. Finally, the potential research directions are highlighted in this rapidly developing field.
随着对核能需求的不断增加，放射性核副产品的储存/运输对于人类和环境而言是至关重要的安全问题。这些副产品与各种核辐射密切相关。特别是，中子辐射因其具有高穿透能力而会造成辐照损伤，需要由中子屏蔽材料进行特殊防护。在此，本文对中子屏蔽进行了基本概述。由于钆（Gd）在各种中子吸收元素中具有最大的热中子俘获截面，它是用于屏蔽应用的理想中子吸收剂。在过去二十年中，已经开发出许多新的含钆屏蔽材料（即无机非金属基、聚合物基和金属基），用于衰减和吸收入射中子。在此基础上，我们对每类材料的设计、加工方法、微观结构特征、力学性能和中子屏蔽性能进行了全面综述。此外，还讨论了屏蔽材料开发和应用目前面临的挑战。最后，在这个快速发展的领域中突出了潜在的研究方向。
