Abstract
Polymers are often used in medical applications, therefore, some novel polymers and their interactions with photons have been studied. The gamma-ray shielding parameters for Polymethylpentene (PMP), Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), and Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) polymers were determined using the Geant4 simulation and discussed in the current work. The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) were simulated at low and high energies between 0.059 and 1.408 MeV using different radionuclides. The accuracy of the Geant4 simulated results were checked with the XCOM software. The two different methods had good agreement with each other. Exposure buildup factor (EBF) was calculated and discussed in terms of polymers under study and photon energy. Effective atomic number (Zeff) and electron density (Neff) were calculated and analyzed at different energies. Additionally, the half-value layer (HVL) of the polymers was evaluated, and the results of this parameter showed that PCTFE had the highest probability of interaction with gamma photons compared to those of the other tested polymers.
Highlights
Nuclear technology is widely used in fields such as agriculture, medical applications, nuclear power plants, material identification, science, and space exploration
A Geant4 simulation was used to determine these parameters at energies between 59 and 1408 keV
The maximum linear attenuation coefficient was determined for the PCTFE polymer
Summary
Nuclear technology is widely used in fields such as agriculture, medical applications, nuclear power plants, material identification, science, and space exploration. The attenuation coefficients of gamma-rays characterize the interaction of radiation with the materials. It was observed that the absorption materials containing elements with high Z, or atomic numbers (such as Pb, Bi, and Ba) are utilized to attenuate the photons. Substances containing low Z (such as plastics and polymers) are commonly used as phantom materials and tissue equivalents in medical applications. In this case, linear attenuation coefficient, mass attenuation coefficient, effective atomic number, exposure buildup factor, and half- and tenth-value layers must be studied because they serve as indicators of the interactions of polymers with photons. The literature reports on the interaction between polymers with neutrons and/or gamma rays [5,6,7,8,9]
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