https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06802-2
Regular Article
Synergistic radiation shielding performance of Cu-based ternary alloys for multifunctional gamma, beta, and neutron radiation protection
1
Biomedical Engineering Department, College of Electronics Engineering, Ninevah University, Mosul, Iraq
2
New and Renewable Energies Department, College of Science, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq
Received:
6
August
2025
Accepted:
27
August
2025
Published online:
13
September
2025
This study systematically evaluates the radiation shielding performance of ternary Cu–Zn–Al alloys against gamma rays, beta particles, and neutrons for nuclear, medical, and aerospace applications. Seven alloys with varied Zn and Al contents were produced by arc melting and analyzed using Phy-X/PSD, NGCal, and NIST ESTAR. For 0.662 MeV gamma rays, Cu70Zn2Al28 (A7) showed the highest mass attenuation coefficient (0.0731 cm2/g), indicating suitability for lightweight shielding. Cu70Zn28Al2 (A1) delivered the highest linear attenuation coefficient (0.5061 cm⁻1), the shortest mean free path (1.97 cm), and the lowest half-value layer (1.369 cm), enabling compact, high-efficiency gamma attenuation. For beta radiation, A1 provided the best overall stopping power by balancing collisional and radiative losses, while A7 exhibited superior radiative stopping power at higher energies, favorable for specific industrial uses. Neutron analyses identified A1 as the top performer, with the highest linear attenuation coefficients for thermal (0.2216 cm⁻1) and fast (0.0268 cm⁻1) neutrons, along with short mean free paths and half-value layers. In conclusion, Cu–Zn–Al alloys offer tunable, multifunctional radiation protection, with A7 preferred for weight-sensitive applications and A1 for compact, high-performance shielding, informing the design of advanced, nontoxic, mechanically robust materials.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
