Nano and microcomposites as gamma and X-ray ionizing radiation shielding materials — A review

The ionizing radiation has been well known for over 100 years now, and it was proved that it is harmful to living organisms. On the other hand, physical properties of this radiation itself, and nuclear fission that is the main source of it, find numerous applications. In these circumstances it is crucial to protect humans from exposure to this radiation and develop shielding materials. There are many well-known materials that could be employed for this purpose, unfortunately these materials exhibit many features that make their use difficult (high density, toxicity, etc.). Therefore, intensification of research on the widely understood nanotechnology has brought a huge step in the field of nanomaterials, and this kind of materials could be applied to manufacture shielding materials free from disadvantages of metals. In the era of ecological crisis, focused on the use of nuclear energy, it is even more desirable. This review paper is an attempt to summarize and systematize knowledge in the field of employing nanomaterials in X and gamma shielding. Based on the available experimental data, the linear and mass attenuation coefficients were summarized depending on the used source. Finally, the perspectives and ideas for further work in this field have been presented. •It has been concluded, that the nanocomposites are constantly achieving more attention as potential candidates in the radiological protection.•It has been shown, that various nano- and microparticles, as well as various matrices are used in the nanocomposites composition.•The experimentally-determined linear and mass attenuation coefficients were summarized in the tables.•The content of nano- and microparticles in the base ingredients is wide, which was summarized graphically.