Scientists from Far Eastern Federal University are proposing the use of an innovative and inexpensive material to protect space technologies from thermal neutrons.
"We proposed metal-ceramic composites of the LaB6-Al-Mg system, sintered using electrical pulsed plasma sintering technology, because boron is highly efficient at absorbing neutrons, while the metal matrix provides durability. The material is also suitable for mechanical processing," says Oleg Shchekalin, a researcher at the Laboratory of Nuclear Technologies of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at the University, and head of the research team.
According to him, similar foreign innovations are very expensive. Therefore, our goal was to create a material with similar or better properties, but at a cost ten times lower.
Tests have shown that a two-millimeter-thick layer of the new compound reduces the flux of thermal neutrons by half, making this innovation promising for the design of spacecraft, as well as nuclear medicine and atomic energy equipment.
According to him, thermal neutrons are a component of radioactive radiation resulting from the collision of galactic cosmic rays with the structural elements of spacecraft. These particles pose a danger to humans because of their ability to easily penetrate living tissue, damaging cells and DNA molecules.
He points out that thermal neutrons, when penetrating the structure of electronic matter, can alter electrophysical parameters and cause transient errors in processor memory and malfunctions in microcircuits. Furthermore, hazardous particles can accumulate in objects, rendering them radioactive and unusable.
