Assessment of gamma-ray attenuation properties in advanced ceramics incorporating colemanite, pyrophyllite, and plastic clay

This study investigates the gamma-ray and neutron shielding performance of advanced ceramic composites containing colemanite, pyrophyllite, and plastic clay as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional lead-based shielding materials. Gamma-ray attenuation properties were evaluated over the energy range of 59.54–2000 keV using theoretical calculations from WinXCOM and Monte Carlo simulations performed with the EGS4 code. Excellent agreement between the two methods confirmed the reliability of the simulation results. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) decreased with increasing photon energy due to the transition from photoelectric absorption to Compton scattering and pair production mechanisms. Correspondingly, the half-value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) increased, while radiation protection efficiency (RPE) decreased with photon energy. The effective atomic number (Zeff) exhibited an energy-dependent decline, reflecting changes in dominant photon–matter interaction processes. Neutron shielding performance improved with increasing colemanite content owing to the presence of boron-rich phases, and Sample-5 exhibited the highest fast neutron removal cross-section (ΣR = 0.11062 cm−1). The same sample also showed the highest gamma-ray kerma coefficients, indicating enhanced energy absorption capability. Overall, the results demonstrate that colemanite-enriched ceramic composites provide effective combined gamma-ray and neutron shielding and represent promising, sustainable, and non-toxic alternatives for radiation protection applications.