Elucidating the multiple contributions of increasing MoO3 concentration on phosphate glasses for radiation safety applications

Abstract

This research investigates the effects of molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) on the gamma radiation shielding efficiency of phosphate glasses. The study focuses on a sequence of glass samples with varying compositions: xMoO3–(30–0.5x)–(30–0.5x)Na2O–(30–0.5x)–(30–0.5x)ZnO–40P2O5, where parameter x was adjusted from 10 (S1) to 60 (S6) in 10 mol% increments. The glass samples exhibited different densities, with values ranging from 3.01 g/cm3 to 3.15 g/cm3. The mass attenuation coefficients (MAC, cm2/g) of all the glasses were determined across 0.015–15 MeV energy range using the EpiXS software. To ensure the reliability of the results, the mass attenuation coefficients of the S1–S6 glasses were further evaluated using the MCNPX Monte Carlo simulation code at specific energies: 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV, and 1.333 MeV, corresponding to commonly used radioisotopes such as 60Co and 137Cs. The comparison between the EpiXS and MCNPX results revealed a robust correlation, supporting the accuracy of the data obtained. Furthermore, the obtained MAC results were utilized to estimate various related parameters, such as linear attenuation coefficient, half- and tenth-value layers, mean free path, as well as effective atomic numbers and electron densities. The findings demonstrate that the investigated phosphate glasses, especially those with a high MoO3 content, present a significant potential for applications requiring efficient radiation shielding.