Radioprotective barium-containing construction mortars

The paper reviews the domestic and foreign experience of designing the compositions of radiation-proof building materials. The principles of designing such materials, including the choice of their chemical composition and attainment of the maximum density of their structure, are presented. It is shown that according to the availability criteria and protective characteristics it is rational to use only 19 chemical elements in the development of materials for radioprotection. The type of the material texture as well as the grain composition of aggregates providing the required chemical composition and density of the material are specified. The results of controlling the structure formation of cement matrix by introducing nano- and microsized particles of barium hydrosilicates are reported. The synergetic effect of their joint application is demonstrated. It is shown that barium-containing plaster mortars developed according to the outlined design principles deliver a high performance and technical and economic efficiency.