Hunting for advanced low-energy gamma-rays shielding materials based on PbWO4 through crystal defect engineering

Increasing exposure chances of humans to low-energy gamma-rays occur with the rapid application expansion of nuclear technology, which tend to induce carcinogenic and mutagenic effects on living bodies, and then need to be protected from. PbWO 4 has excellent gamma-rays attenuating ability while Pb displays a weak shielding property of low-energy gamma-rays from 40 keV to 88 keV. Here, crystal defect engineering with Ce doping is applied to fabricate the crystal structure of PbWO 4 for tailoring its low-energy gamma-rays shielding property. Characterization with XRD , Raman, XPS, XRF , SEM and TEM techniques indicates cerium ions have been introduced into the lattice of PbWO 4 crystals during the doping process. In addition, Ce doping amount plays key roles in tuning the crystal defects in PbWO 4 including ion substitution, charge compensation and structural deformation. Importantly, PbWO 4 doped with 10 mol% Ce displays an optimal mass attenuation coefficient (2.61 cm 2 /g) to 59.5 keV gamma-rays and shows a 39% increase ratio to the PbWO 4 without doping. In addition, typically anisotropic PbWO 4 crystals are found at 40 mol% Ce doping amount, which give its potential versatility. This work provides a solution to make up for PbWO 4 to shield low-energy gamma-rays that could further promote its application in personal protection, such as clothing.