Effect of Ce-dopant on photon interaction parameters of zirconolite-based borosilicate glass ceramics

Abstract

In the present investigation, 70 wt% of zirconolite (CaZr1-xCexTi2O7, x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1) and 30 wt% of sodium borosilicate glass (NaB0.5Al0.5Si2O6) (sample C0 to C10) have been synthesized. The photon interaction parameters viz. mass attenuation coefficient, effective atomic number, effective electron density, mean free path, and half value layer have been investigated for glass-ceramic samples at incident photon energies of 59.58 keV, 81.2 keV, 356 keV, 662 keV, 1173 keV and 1333 keV. Furthermore, effective neutron removal cross-section values, mass stopping power (MSP) and range of alpha particles and proton, were also calculated using SRIM codes. Moreover, gamma-ray energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) were also estimated. The experimental results are in agreement with the theoretically calculated values using WinXCOM program. Among the given prepared samples, C10 shows the best shielding properties, and C0 shows the best capability for neutron absorption. The MSP and projected range of α-particles and protons in all the prepared samples show very small variation with the change of Ce content in zirconolite in the energy range upto 15 MeV. The measured values are extensively desirable in fission and fusion reactors, medical applications, shielding researchers, and radiation physics.