Tailoring structural and compositional influence on γ‐ray shielding efficiency of Zeolite frameworks

Abstract Zeolites, a class of micro‐porous aluminosilicate minerals, exhibit unique structural and compositional characteristics that make them promising candidates for γ‐ray radiation shielding applications. This study investigates the suitability of selected Zeolite frameworks—Natrolite (NAT), Edingtonite (EDI), and Thomsonite (THO)—and their representative crystals, including Gonnardite, NAT, EDI, Kalborsite, and THO‐Sr. The shielding properties were assessed through their mass attenuation coefficients (MACs), linear attenuation coefficients (LACs), and effective atomic numbers ( Z eff ​s) over photon energy ranges of 0.015‒15.0 MeV. Kalborsite demonstrated superior low‐energy attenuation with a MAC of 10.84 cm 2 /g and a corresponding Z eff ​ of 15.78 at E = 0.015, outperforming other crystals such as EDI ( Z eff = 20.56, MAC = 6.692 cm 2 /g) and Gonnardite ( Z eff = 13.77, MAC = 7.622 cm 2 /g). At high photon energies, Kalborsite retained its advantage with the highest LAC (0.056 cm −1 ) among all samples. These findings highlight the critical influence of Zeolite density, Z eff ​, and SiO 2 ​ composition on their radiation shielding efficiency and demonstrate the potential of optimizing Zeolite frameworks for lightweight, effective shielding materials suitable for medical imaging, nuclear energy, and space exploration applications.