Bismuth trioxide shows promise for nuclear shielding

The bismuth trioxide compound is lightweight, effective at shielding against ionising radiation such as gamma rays and can be manufactured quickly. According to NC State, this makes it a promising material for use in applications such as space exploration, medical imaging and radiation therapy.

US team develops rust-based radiation shielding technique

"Traditional radiation shielding materials, like lead, are often expensive, heavy and toxic to human health and the environment," said Ge Yang, an assistant professor of nuclear engineering at NC State and corresponding author of a paper on the work. "This proof-of-concept study shows that a bismuth trioxide compound could serve as effective radiation shielding, while mitigating the drawbacks associated with traditional shielding materials."

In the new study, researchers demonstrated that they could create the compound using a curing method that relies on ultraviolet (UV) light - rather than time-consuming high-temperature techniques.