FULafia young professor leads team of researchers to fabricate radiation sheilding glass

Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, a 41-year-old professor of nuclear physics and Director, Muhammadu Buhari TETfund Centre of Excellence (MBTCE), Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), along with eight other researchers have fabricated a radiation shielding glass. 

Professor Sadiq said that the radiation shielding glass was made using rice husk sourced silica and bismuth and tin bearing minerals ores taken from Falgore Forest and Tilden Fulani areas of Kano and Bauchi states, Nigeria, respectively.

Sadiq, who is the lead researcher, explained that the project is also a collaborative research between the MBTCE, FULafia and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and other Universities that is fully funded via the TETfund National Research Fund.

Sadiq spoke during a media chat with some media outlets in his office in Lafia.

He explained that data from the collaboration are currently undergoing peer review evaluation for publication in some of the top tier scientific journals that are indexed by Web of science. 

Some of the impacts of the research, he said, are the promotion of Nigeria’s local content and solid minerals, cyclic economy and valorisation. 

According to him, another notable impact is the fact two Nigerians have been funded through the grant to undergo PhD training and another who have been partly funded for Masters degree, all in Nuclear Physics. 

Sadiq stated that, when completed Nigeria could witness the homemade production of various glasses including "the window and door glasses we use in our homes, offices and industries."

"We will soon discuss with our collaborator, NASENI on how to initiate commercialisation phase for this novel product," he said.