Design and fabrication of a Nano-based neutron shield for fast neutrons from medical linear accelerators in radiation therapy.

Background: Photo-neutrons are produced at the head of the medical linear accelerators (linac) by the interaction of high-energy photons, and patients receive a whole-body-absorbed dose from these neutrons. The current study aimed to find an efficient shielding material for fast neutrons.

Methods: Nanoparticles (NPs) of FeO and BC were applied in a matrix of silicone resin to design a proper shield against fast neutrons produced by the 18 MeV photon beam of a Varian 2100 C/D linac.

Block Copolymer-Assisted Solvothermal Synthesis of Hollow BiMoO Spheres Substituted with Samarium.

Hollow spherical structures of ternary bismuth molybdenum oxide doped with samarium (BiSmMoO) were successfully synthesized via development of a Pluronic P123 (PEO-PPO-PEO)-assisted solvothermal technique. Density functional theory calculations have been performed to improve our understanding of the effects of Sm doping on the electronic band structure, density of states, and band gap of the material. The calculations for 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.

Morphology-Dependent Electrochemical Properties of CuS Hierarchical Superstructures.

Hierarchical superstructures formed by self-assembled nanoparticles exhibit interesting electrochemical properties that can potentially be exploited in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) as possible electrode materials. In this work, we tested two different morphologies of CuS superstructures for electrodes, namely, tubular dandelion-like and ball-like assemblies, both of which are composed of similar small covellite nanoparticles. These two CuS morphologies are characterized by their markedly different electrochemical performances, suggesting that their complex structures/morphologies influence the electrochemical properties.