Radiation Physics and Engineering
A peer-reviewed journal published by K. N. Toosi University of Technology

EPICS2023-based evaluation of polyboron as a gamma-ray and fast-neutron shielding material

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

S.M. Nymul Hasan Anik
Saad Islam
Ali Mahdi

Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and technology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

https://doi.org/10.22034/rpe.2026.579826.1350
Abstract
The growing demand for lightweight, high-performance shielding in mixed-field radiation environments exposes the critical limitations of traditional heavy materials like ordinary concrete. This study investigates the dual-shielding efficacy of Polyboron, a composite material, demonstrating its capacity to resolve these practical weight-constraint challenges. Utilizing the MATXCOM code and the EPICS2023 photon data library, we evaluate its fundamental radiological parameters including mass attenuation coefficients, buildup factors, and effective atomic numbers (Zeff) to establish its operational viability. Crucially, this investigation reveals a significant engineering advantage: Polyboron delivers superior fast neutron moderation alongside effective gamma-ray attenuation. Specifically, it provides a 1.8% higher fast neutron removal cross-section (ΣR of 0.1128 cm-1 vs. 0.1108 cm-1) and an approximate 9.2% improvement in mass-specific gamma-ray attenuation (MAC) at 1 MeV compared to ordinary concrete. Remarkably, it achieves this enhanced dual-field shielding while offering a massive 57.8% reduction in physical weight (0.971 g.cm-3 versus 2.30 g.cm-3). By matching or exceeding these mass-based protective capabilities of conventional concrete at a fraction of the weight, Polyboron is established as a highly efficient, deployment-ready alternative for weight-sensitive nuclear applications.

Highlights

  • EPICS2023-based photon interaction data were used to assess Polyboron as a radiation shielding material.
  • Gamma-ray attenuation parameters of Polyboron were evaluated over a broad energy range.
  • Exposure and energy absorption buildup factors were calculated to assess deep-penetration shielding behavior.
  • Polyboron showed superior fast neutron removal efficiency compared with ordinary concrete.
  • Polyboron offers a lightweight dual-purpose shielding option for gamma-ray and fast-neutron fields.

Keywords

Polyboron
Mass attenuation coefficient
Buildup factor
Fast neutron removal cross-section
MATXCOM
Phy-X/PSD
Subjects
Ahmed, F., Bhuiyan, S., Mollah, A., et al. (1992). Measurements of gamma-ray shielding properties of ilmenite-magnetite concrete and polyboron slabs using a Cf-252 source. Nuclear technology, 98(3):379–386.
Akman, F., Durak, R., Turhan, M. F., et al. (2015). Studies on effective atomic numbers, electron densities from mass attenuation coefficients near the K edge in some samarium compounds. Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 101:107–113.
Bhuiyan, S., Ahmed, F., Mollah, A., et al. (1989). Studies of the neutron transport and shielding properties of locally developed shielding material: poly-boron. Health
Physics;(USA), 57(5).
Biswas, R., Sahadath, H., Mollah, A. S., et al. (2016). Calculation of gamma-ray attenuation parameters for locally developed shielding material: Polyboron. Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences, 9(1):26–34.
Chilton, A. B., Shultis, J. K., and Faw, R. E. (1983). Principles of radiation shielding.
Detwiler, R. S., McConn, R. J., Grimes, T. F., et al. (2021). Compendium of material composition data for radiation transport modeling. Technical report, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States).
Han, I. and Demir, L. (2009a). Determination of mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic and electron numbers for Cr, Fe and Ni alloys at different energies. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 267(1):3–8.
Han, I. and Demir, L. (2009b). Studies on effective atomic numbers, electron densities from mass attenuation coefficients in TixCo1−x and CoxCu1−x alloys. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions
with Materials and Atoms, 267(21-22):3505–3510.
Harima, Y. (1983). An approximation of gamma-ray buildup factors by modified geometrical progression. Nuclear Science and Engineering, 83(2):299–309.
Hila, F. C., Jecong, J. F. M., Dingle, C. A. M., et al. (2023). ENDF/B-VIII. 0-based fast neutron removal cross sections database in Z= 1 to 92 generated via multi-layered spherical geometry. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 206:110770.
Islam, S. (2025). MATXCOM-an x-ray/gamma-ray attenuation calculator for arbitrary materials based on EPICS2023 evaluated photon data library. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 229:112433.
Kaplan, M. F. (1988). Concrete radiation shielding.
Manjunatha, H. (2017). A study of gamma attenuation parameters in poly methyl methacrylate and Kapton. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 137:254–259.
S ¸akar, E.,Özpolat,Ö. F., Alım, B., et al. (2020). Phy-X/PSD: development of a user friendly online software for calculation of parameters relevant to radiation shielding and dosimetry. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 166:108496.
Trubey, D. K., Eisenhauer, C. M., Foderaro, A., et al. (1991). Gamma-ray attenuation coefficients and buildup factors for engineering materials.
Zoller, L. (1964). Fast-neutron-removal cross sections. Nucleonics (US) Ceased publication, 22.
Radiation Physics and Engineering

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 24 July 2026

  • Receive Date 28 April 2026
  • Revise Date 02 July 2026
  • Accept Date 20 July 2026

Home

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us