US 12278018 B1Patent grantUnited States

Neodymium-Zirconia Gamma Shielding Material

Official patent title

Gamma radiation shielding materials incorporating neodymium-doped zirconia nanoparticles and methods for preparation thereof

Arabic title: مواد لحجب أشعة غاما تدمج جسيمات نانوية من الزركونيا المطعّمة بالنيوديميوم وطرق تحضيرها

Invention

Problem

Lead and other conventional gamma shields can be heavy, toxic, or unsuitable for portable and weight-sensitive uses. Some advanced alternatives also require complex processing or lose structural stability under demanding radiation conditions.

Why it matters

Radiation shielding is needed around medical, nuclear, industrial, aerospace, and defense sources. A durable ceramic-based material could expand design options where toxicity, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and mechanical robustness matter.

Approach

Neodymium is incorporated into zirconia nanoparticles to stabilize a predominantly tetragonal phase, and the particles are dispersed in a matrix held by a frame. A sol-gel, hydrothermal, and calcination route controls dopant level, particle size, phase, and optional graphene-oxide content.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include medical-imaging facilities, nuclear and radiation laboratories, industrial radiography operators, aerospace and defense developers, shielding-material manufacturers, and occupational-safety teams.

Potential value

The material combines 25–35 nm neodymium-doped zirconia with a tetragonal phase and specifies attenuation across 0.059–2.506 MeV, including a claimed linear attenuation coefficient of at least 0.457 cm−1 at 0.662 MeV.

Background

Gamma radiation penetrates more deeply than alpha or beta radiation and therefore requires dense, effective barriers. Lead offers strong attenuation but creates weight, toxicity, and environmental concerns. Zirconia is durable, corrosion-resistant, heat-resistant, and comparatively non-toxic, although its crystal phase must be stabilized and some existing ceramic shields are difficult to manufacture. Doping changes zirconia lattice structure and density. The patent uses controlled neodymium incorporation to promote a tetragonal phase intended to improve gamma attenuation while retaining ceramic durability.

Technology overview

Zirconium oxychloride and neodymium nitrate solutions are combined, chelated with acetylacetone, and mixed with polyvinylpyrrolidone in ethanol to form a sol-gel. The pH is adjusted to about 10.5; optional graphene oxide at about 0.5 wt.% is dispersed before hydrothermal treatment at 190 °C for 24 hours. Calcination at 600–950 °C produces 25–35 nm particles with 1.5–3.0 mol.% neodymium. The particles are placed in a matrix and frame designed to attenuate gamma rays over 0.059–2.506 MeV.

Potential applications

Gamma shielding for medical imaging and radiation-treatment environments.
Protective barriers for nuclear and radiation laboratories.
Industrial radiography and inspection shielding.
Aerospace, defense, and other weight-sensitive shielding research.
Framed ceramic-composite radiation panels.

Evidence-supported advantages

Uses a ceramic system intended as an alternative to toxic heavy-metal shielding.
Controls neodymium content to promote tetragonal zirconia phase formation.
Defines particle size, density, attenuation coefficient, and gamma-energy ranges.
Combines sol-gel, hydrothermal, and calcination controls in a specified synthesis.
Can include graphene oxide before hydrothermal treatment.

Development stage

Nanoparticle synthesis, phase and morphology characterization, and gamma-attenuation properties are described; panel-scale manufacture, long-term radiation durability, independent certification, and field deployment were not established. The development stage was not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The material may support co-development with radiation-shielding, medical-equipment, nuclear-services, and aerospace suppliers. Commercial use requires independent attenuation certification, mechanical and radiation-aging tests, panel-scale manufacturing, joining and framing studies, occupational-safety assessment, cost and weight comparison with lead systems, and regulatory qualification.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

G21F1/08Protection against X-radiation, gamma radiation, corpuscular radiation or particle bombardment; treatment and decontamination of radioactive material
C01G25/02Compounds containing metals not covered by subclasses C01D or C01F

CPC

G21F3/00Protection against X-radiation, gamma radiation, corpuscular radiation or particle bombardment; treatment and decontamination of radioactive material
C01G25/02Compounds containing metals not covered by subclasses C01D or C01F
C08K3/22Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
G21F1/08Protection against X-radiation, gamma radiation, corpuscular radiation or particle bombardment; treatment and decontamination of radioactive material
C08K2201/011Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
C01P2002/77Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C08K2003/2244Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
C01P2002/85Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2002/76Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2004/64Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2002/72Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2004/03Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2004/04Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2002/54Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds

Inventors

First inventorMohammad Wasef Marashdeh
InventorIslam Gamal Ibrahim Ali Alhindawy
InventorKarem Abdelazim Gaber Mahmoud
InventorHanan Fawaz Akhdar
InventorNawal Ahmad Madkhali

Keywords

gamma shielding
neodymium-doped zirconia
tetragonal zirconia
nanoparticles
sol-gel
hydrothermal synthesis
attenuation coefficient
radiation protection

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.