Controlled synthesis of anisotropic lead borate crystals and its co-shielding of neutron and gamma radiations.

Lead borate compounds with a formula of Pb 3 B 10 O 16 [OH] 4 synthesized via low-temperature solvothermal route are highly effective to co-shielding neutron and gamma radiations. Complementary structural characterizations and radiation shielding tests are used to determine structure/activity relations of the as-prepared materials. The morphologies and the crystal structures of the lead borate are controlled by simply adjusting the amount of added pyridine and/or ammonium hydroxide in the solvothermal reaction. In addition, a plausible mechanism is proposed to follow the formation of the lead borate with various morphologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]