Neutron activation analysis of ceramic tiles and its component and radon exhalation rate

Article type: Research Article

Authors: El-Shershaby, A. | Sroor, A. | Ahmed, F. | Abdel-Haleem, A.S. | Abdel, Z.

Affiliations: Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Faculty of Women, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt | Ionizing Radiation Department, National Institute for Standards, Giza, Egypt | Hot Laboratories Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: The concentrations of 20 trace elements in several ceramics tiles and ceramic composites used in Egypt were elementally analyzed by neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. The samples and standard were irradiated with reactor for 4 h (in the Second Research Egyptian Reactor (Et-RR-2)) with thermal neutron flux 5.9 × 10^{13} n/(cm^2 ˙ s). The gamma-ray spectra obtained were measured for several times by means of the hyper pure germanium detection system (HPGe). Also a solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) CR-39, was used to measure the emanation rate of radon for these samples. The radium concentrations were found to vary from 0.39-3.59 ppm and the emanation rates were found to vary from (0.728-5.688) × 10^{-4} kg/(m^2 ˙ s). The elemental analysis of the ceramic tiles and ceramic composites have a great importance in assigning the physical properties and in turn the quality of the material.

Keywords: ceramic, neutron activation analysis (NAA), radon emanation, solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD)

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 94-99, 2004