Evaluation of the Radiation-Protective Properties of Bi (Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Ceramic Prepared at Different Temperatures with Silver Inclusion.

The influences of the sintering process and AgNO addition on the phase formation and radiation shielding characteristics of BiPbSrCaCuO were studied. Three ceramics (code: C0, C1, and C2) were prepared as follows: C0 was obtained after calcination and only one sintering step, C1 was obtained after calcination and two sintering cycles, and C2 was prepared after the addition of AgNO at the beginning of the final sintering stage. C2 displayed the maximum volume fraction of the Bi-2223 phase (76.4 vol%), the greatest crystallite size, and high density. The linear mass attenuation coefficient (µ) has been simulated using the Monte Carlo simulation. The µ values are high at 15 keV (257.2 cm for C0, 417.57 cm for C1, and 421.16 cm for C2), and these values dropped and became 72.58, 117.83 and 133.19 cm at 30 keV. The µ value for the ceramics after sintering is much higher than the ceramic before sintering. In addition, the µ value for C2 is higher than that of C1, suggesting that the AgNO improves the radiation attenuation performance for the fabricated ceramics. It was demonstrated that the sintering and AgNO addition have a considerable influence on the ceramic thickness required to attenuate the radiation.