Controlling the Risk of Photon Beam Exposure with Radiation Shielding Properties of Silicon Rubber Including Tetrabutylammonium Iodide, Tungstic Oxide and Bismuth Oxide Composites

The current computational study deals with the calculations of selected shielding parameters for silicon rubber (SR); 50% SR/50% tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI); 50% SR/20% TBAI/30% tungstic oxide; and 50% SR/20% TBAI/30% bismuth oxide composites. The study aimed to achieve operative shielding materials free from lead. The linear and mass attenuation coefficients were calculated utilizing the Phy-X/PSD program. Then these attenuation coefficients were used to calculate the half and tenth value layers. Moreover, the effective atomic number, effective electron density, mean free path, equivalent atomic number, and exposure buildup factors of the studied composites were calculated. The calculations were carried out at the 0.01–15 MeV photon beams. The findings indicated that the 50% SR/20% TBAI/30% bismuth oxide possessed the optimum shielding properties when compared to the studied composites. It is worth mentioning that the present study introduces several novel contributions that distinguish it from prior silicone-rubber shielding research. First, this is the first investigation that uses TBAI as an organic, iodine-rich high-Z additive in SR-based radiation-shielding composites. Additionally, the composite formulations, at the selected weight fractions, have not been reported before. Our findings also show unique synergistic effects when TBAI is combined with Bi2O3 or WO3, influencing both attenuation and buildup behavior.