Investigation of Radiation Shielding Properties of Samarium Oxide Doped Photopolymer Composites for Additive Manufacturing Applications

The need for cutting-edge and environmentally shielding materials to reduce radiation exposure has grown along with the use of nuclear energy due to scientific and industrial developments. The gamma attenuation characteristics of samarium oxide (Sm2O3)-doped photopolymer composites created for additive manufacturing applications are examined in this work. This study involved the theoretical design of resin structures that contained 0%, 10%, 20%, and 50% Sm2O3 by weight. The GAMOS Monte Carlo simulation code was used to examine the materials' radiation interaction parameters at gamma energies ranging from 81 keV to 1408 keV. The results showed that as the dopant concentration increased, the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) and mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) increased significantly, while the half-value layer (HVL) thickness decreased. Specifically, at the low energy level of 81 keV, the Sm50 sample containing 50% Sm2O3 exhibited the highest radiation attenuation performance compared to the undoped sample. Consequently, samarium-doped composites produced using 3D printing technology offer high potential for lightweight and lead-free radiation shielding equipment with complex geometries.