Radiation shielding and nuclear security functions of Na2O–Fe2O3–B2O3–La2O3 glass system

Abstract

The radiation shielding parameters of Fe3+ hybrid 20Na2O–5.0Fe2O3–(75- x) B2O3–xLa2O3 (where x = 0.0 (NBFL1), 0.5 (NBFL2), 1.0 (NBFL3), 1.5 (NBFL4), and 2.0 (NBFL5) mol%) were estimated and analysed in this report. The photon, neutron, and charged radiation interaction quantities of the glasses were estimated with the aid of the FLUKA Monte Carlo code, the XCOM calculator, and well-known theoretical expressions. The photon and charged particle shielding quantities were estimated for the particle's energy up to 15 MeV. The mass attenuation coefficient ranged from 0.0189 to 6.1457 cm2/g for NBFL1, 0.0194–7.3041 cm2/g for NBFL2, 0.0199–8.4231 cm2/g for NBFL3, 0.0204–9.5046 cm2/g for NBFL4, and 0.0209–10.5504 cm2/g for NBFL5. At 15 MeV the half value layer was 18.08 cm, 16.54 cm, 14.63 cm, 14.05 cm and 13.03 cm for NBFL1, NBFL2, NBFL3, NBFL4 and NBFL5, respectively. NBFL5 has the highest shielding efficiency for charged radiation due to its higher density and La2O3 content. The value of ΣR for NBFL1, NBFL2, NBFL3, NBFL4, and NBFL5 is 0.0842 cm−1, 0.0884 cm−1, 0,0961 cm−1, 0.0965 cm−1, and 0.1004 cm−1, respectively. There was also a steady increase in the total cross section for thermal neutrons as the density and La2O3 content of the glasses increased. In addition to advanced optical functions, the NBFLX glasses possess good radiation absorption qualities, which makes them attractive for radiation absorption roles in radiation environments, among other functions.