Abstract: In a surface nuclear leakage scenario, radiation neutrons undergo multiple scatterings with atomic nuclei in the material, rapidly reducing their energy to the thermal neutron range (a few eV). The activation of thermal neutrons significantly impacts the nuclear reaction process. In solid and liquid materials, nuclei typically exist in bound states, differing from free nuclei in gaseous form regarding their interaction with matter. To accurately assess nuclear radiation effects, we investigated the impact of bound-nucleus effects on thermal neutron activation. Using the Monte Carlo method for particle transport simulation, we developed an air-ground interface model based on surface nuclear radiation scenarios. We modeled neutron beam interactions with soil, seawater, and concrete, focusing on thermal neutron activation reactions. By incorporating bound-nucleus effects through adjusted reaction cross-sections, we calculated and compared changes in secondary gamma flux before and after considering these effects. The results show that accounting for bound-nucleus effects enhances thermal neutron activation in solid and liquid media, thereby increasing surface secondary gamma field intensity. Due to factors such as elemental composition and particle shielding, the maximum increases in secondary gamma flux were 18%, 8%, and 11% for the three media, with varying patterns of flux increase over detection distances.