An article by Asst. Prof. Dr. Seda ERDÖNMEZ, a faculty member of our department, titled “The Role of Rare Earth Oxides in Enhancing Radiation Shielding of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites: A Combined WinXCom and MCNP6 Study” has been published in the Journal of Advanced Research in Natural and Applied Sciences.
The study addresses the increasing need for radiation protection in fields such as nuclear energy, aerospace, medicine, and particle accelerators. It investigates the radiation shielding performance of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites enhanced with 10% and 30% by weight rare earth oxides (Er₂O₃, Sm₂O₃, La₂O₃). The mass attenuation coefficients of TPU and TPU/REO composites were calculated for photon energies ranging from 1 keV to 100 GeV using the WinXCom software, and validated through MCNP6 simulations.
The findings indicate that increasing the concentration of rare earth oxides in the TPU matrix significantly improves the shielding capabilities of the composites. Among the tested formulations, the composite with 30% Er₂O₃ demonstrated the best radiation protection performance.
We congratulate Asst. Prof. Dr. Seda ERDÖNMEZ on this valuable contribution and wish her continued success in her academic endeavors.
