Synthesis of nuclear-grade nano-sized boron carbide powders and its application in LDPE matrix composites for neutron shielding

Avcıoğlu, Suna; Buldu, Merve; Kaya, Figen; Kaya, Cengiz

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-820512-9.00019-8

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Correspondingly, by increasing the boron content to 0.5 wt%, a noticeable neutron shielding performance of up to 6% could be obtained from a fiber mat with approximately 5 μm thickness. These absorbance capacities could be correlated with up to approximately 27% neutron shielding observed in 1.0 wt% submicron‐sized boron carbide particle reinforced low‐density PE composite with 2.5 cm thickness 40 . It should be noted that the 6% shielding performance observed in this study is measured by using a sample with 5 μm thickness and approximately 60% fiber coverage, as shown in Table 3.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 58%

“…These absorbance capacities could be correlated with up to approximately 27% neutron shielding observed in 1.0 wt% submicron-sized boron carbide particle reinforced low-density PE composite with 2.5 cm thickness. 40 It should be noted that the 6% shielding performance observed in this study is measured by using a sample with 5 μm thickness and approximately 60% fiber coverage, as shown in Table 3. Therefore, it is evident that even at high porosity and at a relatively thin layer, the neutron flux could be shielded by utilizing high neutron absorbance hydrogen, carbon, and boron atoms as well as nano-sized fibers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Boron‐containing nonwoven polymeric nanofiber mats as neutron shields in compact nuclear fusion reactors

Özcan

Kam

Kaya

et al. 2022

Intl J of Energy Research

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Summary Composite materials that contain thermally and chemically stable boron compounds are attractive candidates for applications that require high neutron absorption due to the large neutron absorption cross‐section of boron. Electrospun polymer nanofibers have a unique volume‐to‐surface area, incorporating carbon and hydrogen atoms in their molecular structure that could moderate and thermalize incident neutrons. Nonwoven nanofibers could in turn reduce neutron scattering and increase neutron absorption by providing large surfaces and better atom economy in the shield materials. The expected high absorption will result from improved neutron interaction with high neutron absorbance hydrogen, carbon, and boron atoms in the nanofibers through increased specific surface area and atom economy. In this work, elemental boron‐doped PVA polymeric nanofibers are produced for the first time to date for the application of neutron shielding. With the increasing demand for nuclear power generation and radiation therapies in medicine, the need for producing lightweight and flexible materials that could replace the traditional heavy metal/metal carbide‐based shields is vital. Similarly, the need for flexible materials that could shield neutrons is also becoming critical for aerospace applications. The effect of boron content on the quality of fibers and neutron shielding capacity is evaluated by using an Am‐Be neutron source. Characterization studies of produced nanofibers were carried out by SEM, TGA, FT‐IR, and XPS analyses. Results have shown that PVA‐based nanofibers doped with wt% 0.1 to 0.5 boron, having fiber diameter distribution between 60 and 330 nm range, could absorb up to 6% of neutron flux.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 58%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Boron‐containing nonwoven polymeric nanofiber mats as neutron shields in compact nuclear fusion reactors

Özcan

Kam

Kaya

et al. 2022

Intl J of Energy Research

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“…The TG/DTG result is presented in Figure 2 . The observed weight loss starts with the evaporation of physical water, followed by boric acid dehydration boron oxide (B 2 O 3 ) from 80 °C up to approximately 230 °C [ 38 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. The decomposition and combustion of the polymeric network occurs from 250 to 400 °C, resulting in a 48% weight loss.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boron Carbide as an Electrode Material: Tailoring Particle Morphology to Control Capacitive Behaviour

et al. 2023

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In this study, boron carbide powders consisting mainly of nano/micro fibers or polyhedral-equiaxed particles were synthesized via the sol–gel technique, and the influence of particle morphology on electrochemical performance of boron carbide electrodes was investigated. Thermal decomposition duration of the precursors played a determinant role in the final morphology of the synthesized boron carbide powders. The morphology of boron carbide powders successfully tuned from polyhedral-equiaxed (with ~3 µm average particle size) to nano/micro fibers by adjusting the thermal decomposition duration of precursors. The length and thickness of fibers were in the range of 30 to 200 µm and sub-micron to 5 µm, respectively. The electrochemical performance analysis of boron carbide powders has shown that the particle morphology has a considerable impact on the boron carbide electrodes electrochemical performance. It was found that the synergetic effects of polyhedral-equiaxed and nano/micro fiber morphologies exhibited the best electrochemical performance in supercapacitor devices, resulting in the power and energy density of 34.9 W/kg and 0.016 Wh/kg, respectively.

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“…[ 10–13 ] Due to boron carbide's outstanding properties, in recent years, boron carbide‐reinforced polymer matrix composites have become an attractive subject. [ 13–19 ]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[ 47 ] Because nano‐sized filler particles cover a higher equivalent area per unit volume than their micro‐sized counterparts, polymer matrix composites can be manufactured with nano‐sized filler particles to improve neutron shielding efficacy. [ 16,17 ] Other than reducing the filler particles' size, increasing the matrix's overall surface area could be another way to improve the neutron capture capabilities of composite materials. [ 48 ]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boron carbide reinforced electrospun nanocomposite fiber mats for radiation shielding

et al. 2023

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In this study, 1 wt% boron carbide (B4C) reinforced PVA nanofibers were fabricated by the electrospinning technique as a new generation of ultra‐thin, lightweight, and flexible neutron shielding nanocomposites. The influence of B4C particles' size and morphology on the fiber formation and radiation shielding performance of fiber mats was investigated. The results indicate that the particle characteristics have a dramatic influence on the formation and properties of nanocomposites. The thicknesses of individual fibers reinforced with sol–gel synthesized nano‐sized boron carbide particles were in the range of 50–250 nm, while those containing commercial B4C powder were produced in the thickness range of 1–2 μm. In contrast to the commercial particles, the sol–gel synthesized nano B4C particles enhanced the fiber mat's density and the roundness of individual fibers. Both theoretical and experimental radiation shielding studies showed that B4C reinforcement successfully improved the neutron and gamma attenuation of the neat PVA matrix. Furthermore, it was found that a 6.5 mm thick PVA nanofiber mat, reinforced with only 1 wt% B4C nanoparticles shielded up to about 7.4% of the initial neutron flux. Compared to the neat PVA fiber mat, reinforcement of PVA fibers with 1 wt% sol–gel synthesized nano‐sized boron carbide particles enhanced the neutron shielding by 50.31%. Moreover, even though B4C is not an effective gamma shielding reinforcement, the amplified density of nanocomposite fiber mats also enhanced gamma attenuation.

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Synthesis of nuclear-grade nano-sized boron carbide powders and its application in LDPE matrix composites for neutron shielding

Cited by 8 publications

References 42 publications

Boron‐containing nonwoven polymeric nanofiber mats as neutron shields in compact nuclear fusion reactors

Boron‐containing nonwoven polymeric nanofiber mats as neutron shields in compact nuclear fusion reactors

Boron Carbide as an Electrode Material: Tailoring Particle Morphology to Control Capacitive Behaviour

Boron carbide reinforced electrospun nanocomposite fiber mats for radiation shielding

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