Detailed Inspection of γ-ray, Fast and Thermal Neutrons Shielding Competence of Calcium Oxide or Strontium Oxide Comprising Bismuth Borate Glasses.

Gandham Lakshminarayana,Taejoon Park,Mengge Dong,Jonghun Yoon,Dong-Eun Lee,Najeh Rekik,Youssef Elmahroug,Ashok Kumar,Huseyin Ozan Tekin

doi:10.3390/ma14092265

Abstract

For both the B2O3-Bi2O3-CaO and B2O3-Bi2O3-SrO glass systems, γ-ray and neutron attenuation qualities were evaluated. Utilizing the Phy-X/PSD program, within the 0.015–15 MeV energy range, linear attenuation coefficients (µ) and mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) were calculated, and the attained μ/ρ quantities match well with respective simulation results computed by MCNPX, Geant4, and Penelope codes. Instead of B2O3/CaO or B2O3/SrO, the Bi2O3 addition causes improved γ-ray shielding competence, i.e., rise in effective atomic number (Zeff) and a fall in half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP). Exposure buildup factors (EBFs) and energy absorption buildup factors (EABFs) were derived using a geometric progression (G–P) fitting approach at 1–40 mfp penetration depths (PDs), within the 0.015–15 MeV range. Computed radiation protection efficiency (RPE) values confirm their excellent capacity for lower energy photons shielding. Comparably greater density (7.59 g/cm3), larger μ, μ/ρ, Zeff, equivalent atomic number (Zeq), and RPE, with the lowest HVL, TVL, MFP, EBFs, and EABFs derived for 30B2O3-60Bi2O3-10SrO (mol%) glass suggest it as an excellent γ-ray attenuator. Additionally, 30B2O3-60Bi2O3-10SrO (mol%) glass holds a commensurably bigger macroscopic removal cross-section for fast neutrons (ΣR) (=0.1199 cm−1), obtained by applying Phy-X/PSD for fast neutrons shielding, owing to the presence of larger wt% of ‘Bi’ (80.6813 wt%) and moderate ‘B’ (2.0869 wt%) elements in it. 70B2O3-5Bi2O3-25CaO (mol%) sample (B: 17.5887 wt%, Bi: 24.2855 wt%, Ca: 11.6436 wt%, and O: 46.4821 wt%) shows high potentiality for thermal or slow neutrons and intermediate energy neutrons capture or absorption due to comprised high wt% of ‘B’ element in it.

Highlights

Nowadays, utilization and generation of radiation are eminent in distinct technological applications, such as nuclear fission reactors for clean energy (e.g., 235 U or 239 Pu fissile isotopes’ usage), therapeutic nuclear medicine (radiopharmaceuticals, e.g., 137 Cs, 60 Co, 99m Tc, and 123 I radioisotopes handling for disease diagnosis and treatment, singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT)—body tissues and organs imaging), and outer space research
With a motivation to propose cost-effective glasses as radiation shields as the primary aim of this current work, we studied μ, μ/ρ, Zeff, Neff, half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), radiation protection efficiency (RPE), Zeq, Exposure buildup factors (EBFs), and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) using Phy-X/PSD for both B2 O3 -Bi2 O3 -CaO and B2 O3 -Bi2 O3 -SrO glass systems
All discussed results in this sub-section are for the 0.015–15 MeV photon energy in this sub-section the 0.015–15 photonutilizing energy range

Summary

Introduction

Utilization and generation of radiation are eminent in distinct technological applications, such as nuclear fission reactors for clean energy (e.g., 235 U or 239 Pu fissile isotopes’ usage), therapeutic nuclear medicine (radiopharmaceuticals, e.g., 137 Cs, 60 Co, 99m Tc, and 123 I radioisotopes handling for disease (oncology) diagnosis and treatment, singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT)—body tissues and organs imaging), and outer space research. TiO2 , Ag2 O, PbO, and Bi2 O3 , studied μ/ρ (at photon energy range of 0.015–15 MeV by XCOM, XmuDat, and MCNPX), HVL, Zeff , Zeq , EABF, ΣR , proton and alpha mass stopping power (MSP), and projected range values (using SRIM code) They identified that among all the investigated samples, 11Bi2 O3 -27V2 O5 -62TeO2 (mol%) glass (VTBi6) possesses the highest μ/ρ and ΣR , and the minimum HVL quantities for γ-ray and neutron attenuation. For the chosen 26.66 B2 O3 -16GeO2 -4Bi2 O3 -(53.33 − x) PbO-xPbF2 (x = 0, 15, 30, and 40 mol%) glass system, Kumar et al [40] deduced μ/ρ (utilizing XCOM, Geant code, and MCNPX at 0.122, 0.356, 0.511, 0.662, 0.84, 1.17, 1.275, and 1.33 MeV photon energies), Zeff , Neff , MFP, and EBF values, and identified that BPBG0 sample possesses the lowest MFP in all studied glasses, indicating good γ-ray shielding effectiveness. ΣR and σT values are derived using Phy-X/PSD software and Geant code, including σcs , σics , σA , and σT for thermal neutrons by a suitable formula

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Neutron Attenuation Aspects

Conclusions

Methods