Abstract:
W–Bi2O3 composites were fabricated using the hot isostatic pressing technique for the first time. The duration
of the samples sintering was 3 minutes under conditions of high pressure and temperature. The study of
microstructural features and chemical composition of sintered samples was carried out using scanning
electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. The effect of temperature on
the quality of the obtained W–Bi2O3 composites is determined. The densest samples were obtained at
a pressure of 5 GPa and temperatures of 25 °C and 500 °C, the densities of which were 18.10 and
17.85 g cm−3
, respectively. It is presented that high temperature exposure during sintering adversely affects
both the composite density and microstructure due to the redox reaction accompanied by the reduction of
Bi and the oxidation of W. The results of the W–Bi2O3 structure study using X-ray diffraction analysis
showed that all samples included the main bulk-centered cubic W phase. The presence of the WO2 phase is
noted only when the sintering temperature is increased up to 850 °C, which is confirmed by the appearance
of diffraction peaks that correspond to 111 and 22−2 crystallographic planes. The shielding efficiency of the
W–Bi2O3 composite against gamma radiation using the Phy-X/PSD software was evaluated. A Co60 isotope
with an energy of 0.826–2.506 MeV was used as a source of gamma radiation. The calculation results were
compared with those for Pb and Bi. Key shielding parameters such as the linear attenuation coefficient, halfvalue layer, tenth-value layer, mean free path, and effective atomic number are determined. The calculation
results revealed that the W–Bi2O3 composite surpasses Pb and Bi in its shielding properties, which makes it
promising for use as a prospective material for radiation shielding applications.
