Evaluation of the Radiation-Protective Properties of Bi (Pb)–Sr–Ca–Cu–O Ceramic Prepared at Different Temperatures with Silver Inclusion

The influences of the sintering process and AgNO₃ addition on the phase formation and radiation shielding characteristics of Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ were studied. Three ceramics (code: C0, C1, and C2) were prepared as follows: C0 was obtained after calcination and only one sintering step, C1 was obtained after calcination and two sintering cycles, and C2 was prepared after the addition of AgNO₃ at the beginning of the final sintering stage. C2 displayed the maximum volume fraction of the Bi-2223 phase (76.4 vol%), the greatest crystallite size, and high density. The linear mass attenuation coefficient (µ) has been simulated using the Monte Carlo simulation. The µ values are high at 15 keV (257.2 cm^-1 for C0, 417.57 cm^-1 for C1, and 421.16 cm^-1 for C2), and these values dropped and became 72.58, 117.83 and 133.19 cm^-1 at 30 keV. The µ value for the ceramics after sintering is much higher than the ceramic before sintering. In addition, the µ value for C2 is higher than that of C1, suggesting that the AgNO₃ improves the radiation attenuation performance for the fabricated ceramics. It was demonstrated that the sintering and AgNO₃ addition have a considerable influence on the ceramic thickness required to attenuate the radiation.