Thermally insulating GdBO ₃ ceramics with neutron shielding performance

Abstract There is an urgent demand for multifunctional insulation materials with neutron shielding ability that can be particularly used in the nuclear energy system. GdBO ₃ ceramics are one of the candidates for such materials. In this study, GdBO ₃ ceramics were successfully synthesized using a simple solid‐phase method. The effect of boric acid content on the micro and macro properties of GdBO ₃ ceramics was explored. The experimental results indicate that the thermal conductivity of the resulting GdBO ₃ ceramics ranged from .12 to .68 W/(m⋅K), and lower thermal conductivity was achieved with smaller pore size and higher apparent porosity of the sintered product. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the samples in multiple temperature ranges can be improved by increasing boric acid content. Finally, neutron shielding permeability study, performed on the samples in different thicknesses, reveal that GdBO ₃ ceramics possessed excellent neutron shielding performance (NSP). The obtained results manifest that GdBO ₃ ceramics with outstanding heat insulation and NSP have a potential application in a nuclear reactor.