by Zachary Ireland
Included in this study is the testing of nuclides/compounds for purposes of discovering alternate materials for reactor control rods and nuclear containment. Nuclides/compounds are chosen on the basis of many factors, including but not limited to radiative capture cross-section, density, lattice structure, isotope stability, and rarity. Fission cross-section, proton-induced cross-section, and α-particle-induced cross-section are reduced to zero in this study for simplicity.