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Journals / Bor Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 11 Sayı: 3

Multifunctional radiation shielding performance of hafnium-containing MAX-related borides: The impact of A-site chemistry and boron concentration

Hafniyum içeren MAX-ilişkili borürlerin çok fonksiyonlu radyasyon zırhlama performansı: A-sitesi kimyası ve bor konsantrasyonunun etkisi

Celal Avcıoğlu(GEBZE TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-1706-2323
Pages
176–193
Publication Date
2026-09-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

This trade-off identifies Hf3PB4 as the most balanced multifunctional candidate among the investigated compositions, combining strong neutron and heavy charged-particle attenuation with competitive γ-ray shielding, and highlights the potential of Hf-containing MAX-related borides for multifunctional radiation-shielding applications.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study investigates the influence of A-site chemistry and boron concentration on the gamma-ray (γ-ray), neutron, and charged particle attenuation of a series of hafnium-containing MAX-related borides (Hf2SB, Hf2SeB, Hf2InB, Hf2TeB, Hf2PbB, Hf2BiB, Hf2InB2, Hf2SnB2, Hf3PB4, and Hf3SnB4) via systematic theoretical calculations.
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Key Findings & Data:For γ-rays, efficiency is governed by a compositional trade-off between effective atomic number, density, and elemental composition: high atomic number (high-Z) Hf2BiB and Hf2PbB exhibited the highest calculated attenuation performance among the investigated MAX-related borides and showed lower half-value layer (HVL) values than pure lead (Pb) at selected photon energies, particularly around 2.5 MeV.
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Conclusion & Impact:This trade-off identifies Hf3PB4 as the most balanced multifunctional candidate among the investigated compositions, combining strong neutron and heavy charged-particle attenuation with competitive γ-ray shielding, and highlights the potential of Hf-containing MAX-related borides for multifunctional radiation-shielding applications.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Gama ışını zayıflatma · Nötron zırhlama · radyasyon kalkanlama

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of A-site chemistry and boron concentration on the gamma-ray (γ-ray), neutron, and charged particle attenuation of a series of hafnium-containing MAX-related borides (Hf2SB, Hf2SeB, Hf2InB, Hf2TeB, Hf2PbB, Hf2BiB, Hf2InB2, Hf2SnB2, Hf3PB4, and Hf3SnB4) via systematic theoretical calculations. For γ-rays, efficiency is governed by a compositional trade-off between effective atomic number, density, and elemental composition: high atomic number (high-Z) Hf2BiB and Hf2PbB exhibited the highest calculated attenuation performance among the investigated MAX-related borides and showed lower half-value layer (HVL) values than pure lead (Pb) at selected photon energies, particularly around 2.5 MeV. Analysis showed that selected light-A-site compositions, particularly Hf2SB and Hf3PB4, maintain competitive γ-ray attenuation relative to binary HfB2 by preserving a high hafnium (Hf) fraction, although the relative ranking depends strongly on the photon-energy regime and attenuation parameter considered. For neutrons, performance was primarily driven by boron content. Among the investigated MAX-related borides, the boron-rich Hf3PB4 and Hf3SnB4 phases demonstrated the highest fast neutron removal cross sections, reaching up to 0.1647 cm-1, and exceeded the B4C benchmark value used in this study (0.141 cm-1). Notably, these phases also showed short-calculated ranges for protons and alpha particles, suggesting favorable heavy charged-particle stopping behavior associated with their relatively high light-element content. This trade-off identifies Hf3PB4 as the most balanced multifunctional candidate among the investigated compositions, combining strong neutron and heavy charged-particle attenuation with competitive γ-ray shielding, and highlights the potential of Hf-containing MAX-related borides for multifunctional radiation-shielding applications.

Özet

Bu çalışma; bir dizi hafniyum içeren MAX fazı borürün (Hf₂SB, Hf₂SeB, Hf₂InB, Hf₂TeB, Hf₂PbB, Hf₂BiB, Hf₂InB₂, Hf₂SnB₂, Hf₃PB₄ ve Hf₃SnB₄) A-sitesi kimyası ve bor konsantrasyonunun; gama ışını (γ-ışını), nötron ve yüklü parçacık zayıflatma özellikleri üzerindeki etkisini sistematik teorik hesaplamalar yoluyla incelemektedir. Gama ışınları için verimlilik, bileşimsel bir dengeyle belirlenmektedir: Yüksek atom numarasına (Z) sahip Hf₂BiB ve Hf₂PbB fazları, yapısal yoğunluk avantajları sayesinde incelenen tüm malzemeler arasında en yüksek performansı sergilemiş ve 2.5 MeV enerjide saf kurşunu (Pb) bile geride bırakmıştır. Analizler; hafif A-sitesi elementlerine (S, P) sahip Hf₂AB fazlarının, yüksek hafniyum (Hf) oranını koruyarak tüm enerji rejimlerinde ikili HfB₂ yapısını geride bıraktığını göstermiştir. Nötron zırhlama performansı üzerinde bor içeriği temel belirleyici rolü oynamıştır. Bor bakımından zengin Hf₃PB₄ ve Hf₃SnB₄ fazları, 0.1647 cm⁻¹’e varan değerlerle en yüksek hızlı nötron uzaklaştırma tesir kesitlerini sunarak B₄C referansını (0.141 cm⁻¹) geride bırakmıştır. Aynı fazlar, hafif element konsantrasyonunun sunduğu avantajla proton ve alfa parçacıklarına karşı da en yüksek zayıflatma verimliliğini sergilemiş; bu rejimde yüksek-Z etkisinin ikincil planda kaldığını doğrulamıştır. Bu denge analizi, Hf₃PB₄ fazını en uygun çok fonksiyonlu aday olarak öne çıkarmaktadır. Bu fazın sunduğu üstün nötron/yüklü parçacık zayıflatma yeteneği ile rekabetçi gama ışını zırhlama performansı, gelişmiş radyasyon koruma uygulamaları için ideal bir denge sağlamakta ve hafniyum içeren MAX fazı borürlerin potansiyelini ortaya koymaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Avcıoğlu, C. (2026). Multifunctional radiation shielding performance of hafnium-containing MAX-related borides: The impact of A-site chemistry and boron concentration. Bor Dergisi, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 3, 176–193. https://doi.org/10.30728/boron.1922205

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