Enhancing the spinel minerals γ-rays shield effectiveness via crystal void volume optimization and ion composition

This work explores the impact of the crystal's unit cell and void volumes on radiation attenuation properties of spinel compounds. Spinel structures, including normal, inverse, and mixed spinels, were investigated for their diverse applications in fields such as γ-ray shielding, nuclear-based facilities including medicine applications. The MAC values of different spinel-based crystals were analyzed in the gamma-rays energy region, revealing that: MAC ZnFe2O4 >MAC CoFe2O4 >MAC Fe3O4 >MAC MnFe2O4 >MAC Mn3O4 >MAC MgFe2O4 . The study showed that the MAC behavior was impacted by the spinel-group, unit cell structure, and atoms distribution within the spinel crystal. Additionally, the following relationship between (Spinel, MAC,V tet , V octa ) was established as: (ZnFe 2 O 4 , 48.95, 0.36822, 0.28026), (CoFe 2 O 4 ,33.24,0.37385, 0.27613), (Fe 3 O 4 , 43.25, 0.36264, 0.28442), (MnFe 2 O 4 ,41.81, 0.34089, 0.29287), (Mn 3 O 4 ,36.73, 0.34624, 0.27205), (MgFe 2 O 4 ,40.13, 0.37955, 0.24841). The work has identified the best void volumes and compositions of divalent and trivalent ions for various spinel classifications, which improved radiation shielding effectiveness. These results offer important guidance for developing and refining spinel materials for radiation-related purposes.