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UW-Madison: A Midwestern nucleus of fission and fusion
With more than six decades as a top-ranked program in its rearview, the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics (NEEP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is hardly slowing down. In fact, NEEP is continuing to grow and develop its faculty, curriculum, and research.
Elif Ahsen Baştuğ, Hasan Oğul, Fatih Bulut, Ferdi Akman
Nuclear Technology | Volume 212 | Number 9 | September 2026 | Pages 2456-2471
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2025.2521960
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this study, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer composites reinforced with different weight fractions of MoS₂ and CaWO₄ were fabricated and investigated for their gamma and neutron shielding capabilities through both experimental and simulation-based approaches. Gamma-ray attenuation measurements were conducted using a NaI(Tl) detector system, while GEANT4 and FLUKA Monte Carlo codes were employed to simulate both gamma and neutron shielding performance. Additionally, theoretical values of mass attenuation coefficients (MACs) were calculated using EpiXS software.
Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed a homogeneous dispersion of CaWO₄ and MoS₂ particles within the ABS matrix, although some agglomeration was observed at higher loadings. The results demonstrated that MS-3 and CW-3 exhibited superior gamma radiation shielding performance, with a MAC increase of approximately three times compared to ABS-0 at 59.5 keV. Notably, the MS-3 and CW-3 samples exhibited enhanced gamma attenuation, especially in the low-energy range.
Simulations also confirmed enhanced neutron shielding efficiency, particularly against thermal neutrons. In addition, the Monte Carlo simulations revealed that CW-3 generated the lowest levels of secondary gamma and neutron radiation, enhancing its overall shielding efficiency. For thermal neutrons, the CW-3 sample transmitted only ~8% of neutrons and produced 346 933 secondary photons. These findings highlight the potential of the developed composites as advanced materials for radiation protection in nuclear energy systems, medical facilities, and aerospace engineering.