Study on the Gamma Ray Shielding Performance of Engineering Plastic Composites Enhanced With Graphene Nano-Platelets (GNPs) and Graphite (G) Additives

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of PP-ABS and PC-ABS blends reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and graphite (G) in gamma radiation shielding. Composite-I (PP-ABS-GNPs) and Composite-II (PC-ABS-G) were manufactured using extrusion and injection molding, with reinforcement rates ranging from 1 to 11%. The gamma ray shielding properties were evaluated through both experimental and theoretical approaches. Experimental measurements were conducted using a NaI(Tl) detector, while the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code was utilized to determine the mass attenuation coefficients, linear attenuation coefficients, half-value layer, tenth-value layer and mean free path. The effectiveness of different reinforcement ratios was assessed by comparing results across varying additive concentrations. The findings revealed that the graphene and graphite additive ratios influence the shielding effectiveness of the composite materials against gamma rays. Furthermore, when the results are compared to traditional shielding materials previously studied in the literature, these composites demonstrate comparable shielding properties, particularly for photon energies commonly used in medical and industrial applications (100 keV-1 MeV). These results underscore the potential of these composite materials as promising alternatives to conventional shielding materials, providing lightweight properties, cost-effectiveness, and effective radiation protection.