Radiation shielding for nuclear medicine using advanced dy-doped nanocomposites

Effective radiation shielding is critical for medical and nuclear safety, but conventional lead-based materials are toxic and heavy. However, a high-performance, non-toxic alternative with optimized composition for mixed-field radiation remains an unmet need. Here establish a new class of lightweight, lead-free shields using dysprosium-doped Mn–Cu ferrite nanocomposites. The selected nanocomposites with varying Dy concentrations (0 to15 mole) and evaluated their gamma-ray (0.015 to 1 MeV) and fast neutron shielding performance. Key parameters, including mass attenuation coefficient, half-value layer and fast neutron removal cross-section (Σ R ), were simulated using the Geant4 toolkit. Shielding efficacy increased systematically with Dy content. The 15% Dy-doped sample (MCDFO15) demonstrated unprecedented performance, requiring up to 25% less thickness than the undoped composite at 200 keV for equivalent gamma attenuation. MCDFO15 exhibited a superior fast neutron removal cross-section (Σ R ≈ 0.062 cm⁻¹ vs. 0.054 cm⁻¹ for MCFO) and a higher neutron absorption ratio. This enhancement is directly attributable to the increased effective atomic number and electron density from Dy doping. Dy doping transforms the intrinsic shielding properties of ferrite nanocomposites, establishing a highly effective strategy for radiation protection. This work paves the way for the development of tunable, non-toxic shields for advanced diagnostic and nuclear applications.