HVL Values Research Articles

The Radiation Shielding Properties of the Low Temperature Alloys

Solder alloys are significant for many applications. In addition to the physical electrical and magnetic properties of solders, it is of great importance to determine the shielding properties of the materials in order to prevent the harmful effects of radiation on human health if they are used in systems containing radiation. In this study, the shielding properties of some low temperature solder alloys were investigated. The alloy samples were tested by the gamma-ray emitted from 241Am radioactive source 59.5 keV energy settled into HpGe detector. The highest mass attenuation coefficient and the lowest HVL and MFP values were determined for studied samples. The results showed that SDO-4 with the lowest shielding parameters, it is much more suitable for the radiation shielding among the studied sample.

Gamma and neutron shielding properties of B4C particle reinforced Inconel 718 composites

Neutron and gamma-ray shielding properties of Inconel 718 reinforced B4C (0-25 wt%) were investigated using PSD software. Mean free path (MFP), linear and mass attenuation coefficients (LAC,MAC), tenth-value and half-value layers (TVL,HVL), effective atomic number (Zeff), exposure buildup factors (EBF), and fast neutron removal cross-sections (FNRC) values were calculated for 0.015–15 MeV. It was found that MAC and LAC increased with the decrease in the content of B4C compound by weight in Inconel 718. The EBFs were computed using G-P fitting method for 0.015–15 MeV up to the penetration depth of 40 mfp. HVL, TVL, and FNRC values were found to range between 0.018 cm and 3.6 cm, between 2.46 cm and 12.087 cm, and between 0.159 cm−1 and 0.194 cm−1, respectively. While Inconel 718 provides the maximum photon shielding property since it offered the highest values of MAC and Zeff and the lowest value of HVL, Inconel 718 with B4C(25 wt%) was observed to provide the best shielding material for neutron since it offered the highest FNRC value. The study is original in terms of several aspects; moreover, the results of the study may be used in nuclear technology, as well as other technologies including nano and space technologies.

Evaluation of gamma ray attenuation properties of boron carbide (B4C) doped AISI 316 stainless steel: Experimental, XCOM and Phy-X/PSD database software

This study aimed to investigate the gamma-ray attenuation properties of AISI 316 stainless steel both experimentally and theoretically by doping different ratios of boron carbide. In the experimental measurements, a gamma spectroscopy system with a NaI(Tl) detector was used and 60Co, 137Cs radioactive sources were used as gamma sources. In addition, it was calculated theoretically using XCOM and Phy-X/PSD database software. With the help of both experimental and theoretical results obtained, the effect of adding boron carbide to AISI 316 stainless steel on the change of the linear attenuation coefficients (LAC, µ) of the steel was investigated. Experimental LAC results for 3 different gamma energies of steels have been checked with the calculated theoretical LAC results by XCOM database using the chemical contents and density of the steel samples. It has been observed that the experimental and theoretical results are compatible with each other. Also, by using experimentally obtained LACs, half and tenth value layer thickness, mean free path and radiation protection efficiency parameters were calculated. In addition to these parameters, parameters such as equivalent atomic number (Zeq), effective atomic number (Zeff), exposure accumulation factor (EBF) were theoretically determined in the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV for steel samples produced using the Phy-X / PSD software. From the experimental results obtained, as the ratio of boron carbide in AISI 316 stainless steel increases, LACs and radiation protection efficiency (RPE) values decrease. Other parameters, transmission speed, HVL, TVL and MFP values increased with increasing boron carbide (B4C) ratio. It can be said that different processes are effective in different energy regions for the Zeff, Zeq and EBF results obtained theoretically. From these data, it can be concluded that adding boron carbide to AISI 316 stainless steel reduces the steel's ability to attenuate gamma radiation.

Investigation of gamma radiation shielding properties of polyethylene glycol in the energy range from 8.67 to 23.19 keV

The mass attenuation coefficients (μm) of polyethylene glycol (PEG) of different molecular weights (1000–200,000) were measured using single-beam photon transmission. The X-ray fluorescent (XRF) photons from Zinc (Zn), Zirconium (Zr), Molybdenum (Mo), Silver (Ag) and Cadmium (Cd) targets were used to determine the attenuation of gamma radiation of energy range between 8.67 and 23.19 keV in PEG samples. The results were compared to theoretical values using XCOM and Monte Carlo simulation using Geant4 toolkit which was developed to validate the experiment at those certain energies. The mass attenuation coefficients were then used to compute the effective atomic numbers, electron density and half value layers for the studied samples. The outcomes showed good agreement between experimental and simulated results with those calculated theoretically by XCOM within 5% deviation. The PEG 1000 sample showed slightly higher μm value compared with the other samples. The dependence of the photon energy and PEG composition on the values of μm and HVL were investigated and discussed. In addition, the values of Zeff and Neff for all PEG samples behaved similarly in the given photon energy range, and they decreased as the photon energy increased.

The Vital Role of La2O3 on the La2O3-CaO-B2O3-SiO2 Glass System for Shielding Some Common Gamma Ray Radioactive Sources.

The role La2O3 on the radiation shielding properties of La2O3-CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glass systems was investigated. The energies were selected between 0.284 and 1.275 MeV and Phy-X software was used for the calculations. BLa10 glass had the least linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) at all the tested energies, while BLa30 had the greatest, which indicated that increasing the content of La2O3 in the BLa-X glasses enhances the shielding performance of these glasses. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) of BLa15 decreases from 0.150 cm2/g to 0.054 cm2/g at energies of 0.284 MeV and 1.275 MeV, respectively, while the MAC of BLa25 decreases from 0.164 cm2/g to 0.053 cm2/g for the same energies, respectively. At all energies, the effective atomic number (Zeff) values follow the trend BLa10 < BLa15 < BLa20 < BLa25 < BLa30. The half value thickness (HVL) of the BLa-X glass shields were also investigated. The minimum HVL values are found at 0.284 MeV. The HVL results demonstrated that BLa30 is the most space-efficient shield. The tenth value layer (TVL) results demonstrated that the glasses are more effective attenuators at lower energies, while decreasing in ability at greater energies. These mean free path results proved that increasing the density of the glasses, by increasing the amount of La2O3 content, lowers MFP, and increases attenuation, which means that BLa30, the glass with the greatest density, absorbs the most amount of radiation.

Characterization and Radiation Shielding Properties of Philippine Natural Bentonite and Zeolite

In this paper, the investigation of the structural and radiation shielding characteristics of natural bentonite and zeolite was presented. XRD (X-ray diffraction) and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) were used to examine the structural properties and morphologies of the minerals. The Electron-Photon Interaction Cross Sections 2017 (EPICS2017) library through EpiXS software was used to obtain the photon shielding properties – including mass attenuation coefficients, mean free paths, half-value and tenth-value layers, effective atomic numbers, and buildup factors for energy absorption and exposure. The ESTAR web program and SRIM code were used to obtain electron and ion stopping powers and ranges. The neutron removal cross-sections and the fast and thermal attenuation factors were obtained using the Phy-X/PSD, MRCsC, and NGCal software. The results showed that the zeolite grain sizes were typically smaller than 50 µm, while the bentonite grain sizes were larger reaching 100 µm. It was found that both materials were significantly composed of mordenite and montmorillonite. The photon shielding quantities for both materials showed similar MFP, HVL, and TVL values with different buildup factor values at large penetration depths. The high-energy charged particle range within both materials described similar trends and values. The range of alpha particles was significantly smaller than the average grain sizes for both materials. The fast neutron removal cross-sections of zeolite and bentonite were significantly higher than for typical soil values. Both natural materials may be suitable candidate ingredients for radiation shielding composites, especially due to their natural abundance and unique properties.

Photon Shielding Characterization of SiO2-PbO-CdO-TiO2 Glasses for Radiotheraphy Shielding Application

In this study, photon attenuation parameters of (30-x) SiO2–15PbO–10CdO-xTiO2, with x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% mol, were determined and their application as shielding material were discussed. The WinXCOM software was used to determine the mass attenuation coefficient of the studied glasses for the energy range (0.015-15MeV). The mass attenuation coefficient of the glass samples first decline up to 0.09 MeV and slightly increase abruptly and then declined uniformly for all the glasses to approximately zero after about 10 MeV. The effective atomic number (Zeff) was also calculated for the glass samples and were observe to raise from 0.015 to 0.02 MeV and then decreased between 0.02-5 MeV. On account of the dominance of the photoelectric effect in the low energy region, there was a sudden increase in Zeff at about 0.08 MeV close to the absorption edge of the Pb (0.088 MeV). The rapid increment was observed at 0.1–1.5 MeV by transcending typical Compton scattering interaction at intermediate energies for Zeff'’s and began to decrease in the same form again. The lower Zeff values were found in low and high energy region for all SPCT glasses. The calculated mean free path, half value layer and tenth value layer values were observe to decline as the TiO2 doping of the glasses increased which accounts for the three photon interaction mechanisms effectiveness in the variation of MFP and HVL values with energy. It can be concluded that SPCT glasses may be considered an alternative material for radiation shielding practices.

The significant role of CeO2 content on the radiation shielding performance of Fe2O3-P2O5 glass-ceramics: Geant4 simulations study

Natural and artificial sources of radiation can be encountered in many areas of our lives. Particularly, ionizing radiation has harmful effects on humans therefore researchers look for novel materials an alternative to traditional shielding materials to protect humans. For this purpose, in this paper, newly developed glass-ceramics in the chemical form of x is between 0 and 8 mol%, were reported in terms of their gamma/neutron attenuation properties to serve for radiation shielding applications. Gamma attenuation features were investigated by using the Monte Carlo method via Geant4 toolkit. From Geant4 simulations, the coefficients of mass attenuation (denoted by μ/ρ or MAC) were extracted and then compared with those of Phy-X/PSD calculations. The MAC values (at 0.015 MeV as an example) increased from 21.029 cm2 g−1 to 24.446 cm2 g−1 as the content increased from 0 to 8 mol%. The HVL values are between 0.011–9.830 cm for CFP-0, 0.010–9.376 cm for CFP-2, 0.010–8.863 cm for CFP-4, 0.009–8.675 cm for CFP-6 and 0.009–8.424 cm for CFP-8 in energy range from 0.015–15 MeV. The Zeff values (at 1 MeV gamma energy) are 11.70, 11.84, 11.99, 12.15, and 12.30 for CFP-0, CFP-2, CFP-4, CFP-6, and CFP-8 glass-ceramics, respectively. The maximum Zeq values for the present glass-ceramics are occurred at 1 MeV with the values of 19.21, 22.69, 25.14, 27.10, and 28.73 for CFP-0, CFP-2, CFP-4, CFP-6, and CFP-8 glass-ceramics, respectively. The results show that theoretically, CFP-8 has better photon absorption features due to the higher content of among the investigated CFP ceramic glasses. Contrary to these results, there is not considerable variations between among removal cross section (RCS) for fast neutron of CFP glass ceramics with the rising of

The shielding properties of the ordinary concrete reinforced with innovative nano polymer particles containing PbO–H3BO3 for dual protection against gamma and neutron radiations

Most of the neutron sources such as nuclear reactors and reaction based sources are considered as a mixed field of radiation where both of neutron and gamma particles are emitted directly from the source. In these cases some special techniques are required for an efficient radiation shield design. Usually different neutron and gamma absorbers are employed via successive layers leading to a massive bulky design. In this study, an innovative nano polymer particle containing simultaneous gamma and neutron absorbers has been proposed to simplify and compact the shield design. The synthesized polymer is based on the H3BO3 as the neutron absorber and the PbO as the gamma ray attenuator, leading to PbO–H3BO3 nano polymer particles. The average size, morphological structure, functional groups and thermal properties of the synthesized polymer were characterized by instrumental techniques. The Monte Carlo simulations (MCNP4C) as well as the experimental methods have been employed to investigate the shielding properties of the ordinary concrete reinforced with PbO–H3BO3 filler particles. The simulation results showed that the employment of nano sized particles has a superior advantage over the micro ones for the neutron shielding. However, for the gamma shielding there are no important differences between the nano and micro sized particles and both of them increase the mass attenuation coefficient, significantly. A semi-saturation effect was observed for weight fractions more than 5 wt% of filler particles. Dozens of concrete slab samples reinforced with nano sized PbO–H3BO3 filler particles have been prepared for experimental studies. The mass attenuation coefficients as well as HVL values of samples were determined using some well-known gamma sources and NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. The results showed that the employment of 5 wt% PbO–H3BO3 reduces the HVL by 38% at 511 keV and 24% at 1332 keV. The experimental results endorsed the simulation study on the effectiveness of proposed innovative nano polymer particles for concrete shielding reinforcement.

Exploring the FTIR, Optical and Nuclear Radiation Shielding Properties of Samarium-Borate Glass: A Characterization through Experimental and Simulation Methods.

(Tl2O3)30-(Li2O)10-(B2O3)(60−y)-(Sm2O3)y glass system with various Sm2O3 additives (y = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) was studied in detail. The vibrational modes of the (Tl2O3)30-(Li2O)10-(B2O3)(60−y) network were active at three composition-related IR spectral peaks that differed from those mixed with Samarium (III) oxide at high wavenumber ranges. These glass samples show that their permeability increased with the Samarium (III) oxide content increase. Additionally, the electronic transition between localized states was observed in the samples. The MAC, HVL, and Zeff values for radiation shielding parameters were calculated in the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV using the FLUKA algorithm. In addition, EBF, EABF, and ΣR values were also determined for the prepared glasses. These values indicated that the parameters for shielding (MAC, HVL, Zeff, EBF, EABF, and ΣR) are dependent upon the Samarium (III) oxide content. Furthermore, the addition of Samarium (III) oxide to the examined glass samples greatly reinforced their shielding capacity against gamma photon. The findings of the current study were compared to analyses of the XCOM software, some concretes, and lead. In the experiment, it was found that the SMG0.6 glass sample was the strongest shield.

New shielding ZnO-PbO-TeO2 glasses

The effect of PbO and TeO2 concentration on the photon, fast neutron and charged particles shielding capacity of the ternary ZnO-PbO-TeO2 glass systems with the form [(TeO2)0.7-(PbO)0.3]1−x(ZnO)x: x = 0.15–0.25 mol% (TPZ1-TPZ5) glass system was investigated. For this purpose, the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC=μρ) values of the glasses were produced with MCNPX codes and WinXCOM program in the wide energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. Due to the high PbO and TeO2 contributions, the largest MAC values were obtained for the TPZ5 glass. Then important gamma parameters such as effective atomic number, half value layer, effective electron density, equivalent atomic number, and exposure and energy absorption buildup factors (Zeff, HVL, Nel, Zeq and EBF and EABF) were also calculated for TPZ glasses. While the highest Zeff values were found for TPZ5 glass, changing between 48.43 and 51.01, the lowest HVL, EABF and EBF values were calculated for TPZ5 glass. As can be seen from the removal cross section, mass stopping power, and projected range (ΣR, MSP, and PR) results for TPZ glasses, the TPZ5 glass can also be a good shielding material for fast neutrons and alpha-proton particles. As a result, the hypothesis of the study has been confirmed and we believe that the obtained data from this study will be beneficial for the potential use of Te-based glasses in shielding applications.

Effect of Gd2O3 on the radiation shielding, physical, optical and luminescence behaviors of Gd2O3–La2O3–ZnO–B2O3–Dy2O3 glasses

The present work focuses on lead-free glasses, their shielding behavior, and other optical studies. The glass composition with xGd2O3+10La2O3+10ZnO+(79-x) B2O3+1Dy2O3, x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 mol% were prepared to the characterization on physical, absorption spectra, photo-, radioluminescence, and radiation shielding properties. In the experimental results, the density of Gd-1Dy glass samples increases with the increase of Gd3+ ions concentrations. The ten-strong peak in the 5Gd-1Dy glass of absorption spectra in UV–Vis–NIR regions. The white photoluminescence spectra base of Gd-1Dy glass samples can be generated under excitation at 351 nm makes the strongest emission of Dy3+ ions and excitation through energy transfer from Gd3+ in Gd-1Dy glass samples with 275 and 351 nm. This strong white emission of Dy3+ ions also strong in x-ray luminescence and performs the integral scintillation efficiency of 33% when compared with BGO crystal. The radiation shielding properties in the diagnostic medicine energies region are correlated, the values of glass samples better than commercial windows, bricks, and concrete. The HVL values of glass sample at 15 and 20 mol% of Gd2O3 has been found better than X-ray windows. The corollaries of Gd-1Dy glass samples can be a candidate for radiation detector and lead-free radiation shielding materials in future.

Influence of PbO content on the gamma ray shielding properties of lead boro-telluro-phosphate glasses

This paper investigates the influence of lead monoxide (PbO) content on the gamma ray attenuation coefficients of boro-telluro-phosphate glasses. The MCNP5 simulation code has been applied to estimate the mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) of Sm3+ doped (60-x)B2O3-xPbO-14TeO2-10P2O5-7.5BaO-7.5CdO-1Sm2O3 (x = 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 wt%) glass system within 0.02–10 MeV photon energy range. The MCNP5 simulated results are accord with the theoretical XCOM results perfectly. The results show that the increasing content of PbO in the glass compositions can improve the gamma ray shielding capability of the studied glasses. With the biggest content of PbO in Pb40B20 glass, superior HVL and Zeff values are observed. The values of HVL for Pb40B20 glass vary from 0.0035 to 3.6824 cm, and the values of Zeff vary from 25.94 to 70.05 depending on the photon energy 0.02–10 MeV. In addition, the boro-telluro-phosphate glasses have been compared with types of commercial concretes and glasses in terms of HVL.

Developed selenium dioxide-based ceramics for advanced shielding applications: Au2O3 impact on nuclear radiation attenuation

The current research article aims to study the radiation shielding competence of a newly developed PbO-B2O3-SeO2-Er2O3:Au2O3 glass ceramic. The concentrations of the constituent oxides were 40, 10, 49.5, and 0.5 mol % for PbO, B2O3, SeO2, and Er2O3, respectively. The studied ceramic specimens were denoted by EA0, EA25, EA50, EA75 and EA100, and their density values were 5.87, 5.92, 5.94, 6.09, and 6.10 g/cm3, respectively. The radiation shielding competence and photon buildup factors of the present ceramics were investigated under the Au2O3/SeO2 substitution with ratio up to 0.1 mol %. The obtained results reveal that the MAC values were reported with 0.233 cm2/g difference between the minimum and the maximum Au2O3 reinforced samples. The highest MAC values were reported for EA100 sample, which has the highest Au2O3 additive in its chemical structure. At 4 MeV photon energy, HVL values were reported as 3.2658 cm, 3.2352 cm, 3.2212 cm, 3.139 cm and 3.1309 cm for EA0, EA25, EA50, EA75 and EA100, respectively. Moreover, the highest values of EBF were observed for the EA100, and the lowest values of EBF were observed for EA0. Therefore, it can be concluded that the present ceramics possess high level shielding competence to use for various applications of gamma radiation.

Synthesis, physical, optical properties, and gamma-ray absorbing competency or capability of PbO–B2O3–CaO glasses reinforced with Nd3+/Er3+ ions

A series of four glass specimens with the molar percentage formula 20PbO–50B2O3–30CaO–xEr2O3–yNd2O3: (x, y) = (0,0), (0,1), (1,0), and (1,1) mol% were synthesized by the conventional melt quenching process, namely PBC-Nd0Er0, PBC-Nd0Er1, PBC-Nd1Er0, and PBC-Nd1Er1. Structure, physical, optical properties, and gamma-radiation protection efficiency of the synthesized glasses have been investigated. XRD measurements confirmed that the synthesized glasses were in non-crystalline nature. The glasses density was increased from 4.13 to 4.30 g/cm3. The direct optical band gap (OBG) decreases from 3.57 to 3.18 eV, while the indirect (OBG) decreases from 2.90 to 2.75 eV. Refractive index (n) follows the order PBC-Nd1Er1 > PBC-Nd0Er0 > PBC-Nd1Er0 > PBC-Nd0Er1. The PBC-Nd1Er1 glass sample has the highest (Ed = 25 eV), the lowest (Eo = 2 eV), and the highest value of (no) equal to 3.67 compared with other glasses. Both of optical and electrical conductivities (σoptical and σelectrical) follow the order: PBC-Nd1Er1 > PBC-Nd0Er1 > PBC-Nd1Er0 > PBC-Nd0Er0. The maximum ability for the investigated glasses to block the radiations passing through them occurred at 0.223 meV, and the LAC lies in the range of 1.650 cm−1 for PBC-Nd0Er0 and 1.719 cm−1 for PBC-Nd1Er1. By contrast, the minimum ability took place at 1.458 meV, and at this energy, the LAC lies in the range of 0.216 and 0.224 cm−1. The HVL values show that there is a trend to attenuating potentiality reducing as the energy raises from 0.223 to 1.458 meV. It is shown that the PBC-Nd1Er1 glass sample possesses the superior optical properties and shielding capacity among each of other investigated glasses.

Nb2O5-Li2O-Bi2O3-B2O3 novel glassy system: evaluation of optical, mechanical, and gamma shielding parameters

For the Nb2O5-Li2O-Bi2O3-B2O3 glass system, optical, structure, mechanical gamma, and neutron radiation shielding aspects were examined comprehensively. The two probabilities of the bandgaps, direct and indirect transition, were evaluated. The absorbance of the recent glasses was increased as Nb2O5 increased. Moreover, the peak shifted to a longer wavelength as Nb2O5 increased. Our results show a decreasing behavior of both kinds of the bandgap. Adopting XCOM within 0.04–15 MeV, LAC and MAC were evaluated for all samples and calculated MAC values are in excellent compliance with deduced FLUKA code respective MAC outcomes. Zeff, HVL, and MFP values were estimated. MAC, Zeff, HVL, and MFP values depended on glass components and energy. Moreover, using equivalent atomic numbers (Zeq) and the geometric progression fitting procedure, EABF values were calculated up to 40 mfp, within 0.015–15 MeV. Comparatively higher density (4.9454 g/cm3), greater LAC, MAC, Zeff, Zeq, and lower HVL, MFP, EABF values achieved for 10Nb2O5-10Li2O-30Bi2O3-50B2O3 glass indicated it as a better gamma shield. Furthermore, the calculated ΣR shows that the 10Nb2O5-10Li2O-30Bi2O3-50B2O3 sample has commensurately greater ΣR (= 0.1744 cm−1).

Analysis of enhancement in gamma ray shielding proficiency by adding WO3 in Al2O3-PbO-B2O3 glasses using Phy-X/PSD

Gamma ray shielding ability of WO3 borate glasses is analyzed by using the Phy-X/PSD software. Mass attenuation coefficient of glasses gets enhanced with addition of tungsten oxide resulting in lowering of the values of MFP, HVL, TVL and EBF at 10 mol % of tungsten as compared to many commercial and radiation shielding glasses/concretes. The higher value of FNRCS (∑R) in studied glasses than concretes shows their neutron shielding ability. The sample with highest value of tungsten is most suitable for making radiation shielding materials. The OPD, OMV, n¯c, nb and dbb values indicate the rigid and stable glass structure due to the formations of stable BO4 groups. Poisson ratio confirms high cross density and stability of prepared glasses as its value decreases from 0.233 to 0.226. The increased values of elastic constants and VHN are also in the favour of higher stability and rigidity of the glasses due to addition of WO3. All of these parameters are in good relation with each other and support the shielding power of the studied glasses.

Structural and shielding properties of NiO/xCo3O4 nanocomposites synthesized by microwave irradiation method

In the present study, nanocomposites with different ratios of NiO and Co3O4 (x = 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7) have been prepared via microwave oven and characterized using XRD. FLUKA code has been used to estimate the values of the mass attenuation coefficient (μm) for all samples. From the measurement, we found that when the thickness of the samples increases, the gamma transmission values decrease. Besides, the μm values increase as the Co3O4 content increase from 0.3 to 0.7%. At selected photon energy, the HVL, TVL, and MFP values decrease with increasing Co3O4 concentrations. At low energies (0.1–0.5 MeV), the linear decreasing trend in MAC values indication that photoelectric effect (PEA) (∝1/E3.5) dominance over this region. Afterward, at medium energy regions (0.5–1.33 MeV), the decrements in MAC values are insignificant as the Compton scattering (CS) (∝1/E) phenomenon dominates. As a conclusion, CoNi3 has superior effectiveness as a shielding material.

Multi-objective optimization strategies for radiation shielding performance of BZBB glasses using Bi2O3: A FLUKA Monte Carlo code calculations

Highly efficient gamma shielding of BZBB glasses with various Bi2O3 concentrations in the xBi2O3-30B2O3-(65-x)ZnO-5BaO, (5 ≤ x ≤ 25 mol%) were evaluated for their radiation shielding properties. The μm results have been evaluated via the NISTXCOM database and simulated via FLUKA code. The simulation values by Monte Carlo code (FLUKA) have been shown to converge and correlate with XCOM values. Shielding properties like HVL, MFP, Zeff, EBF, and EABF values have been computed. The values observed that μm and Zeff increase with increasing Bi2O3. 47.09, 48.91, 50.73, 52.54 and 54.36 (cm2/g) are the μm values for BZBB1, BZBB2, BZBB3, BZBB4 and BZBB5 glasses at 15 keV. Also, the μm values decrease with increasing photon energy for all glass samples. Moreover, BZBB5 sample had the lowest HVL, MFP, EBF, and EABF values. That indicates to the addition of Bi2O3 improves the radiation shielding properties of BZBB glasses. The obtained results were compared with the most commonly shielding materials such as lead and concretes. It was concluded that the improved BZBB glasses with the addition of Bi2O3 showed excellent shielding properties comparing with shielding materials. These results could be highly beneficial for fields such as medical treatment facilities.

Mechanical, optical, and beta/gamma shielding properties of alkali tellurite glasses: Role of ZnO

The mechanical features, linear and non-linear optical properties and the radiation (beta/gamma) shielding competences of (90-x)TeO2–5CaO–5Na2O-xZnO: x = 5–20 mol% glasses were studied. Results revealed that the molar polarizability (αMol.) decreased from 6.215 × 10−24 to 6.009 × 10−24 cm3 and the molar refraction (RMol.) changed from 15.664 to 15.143 (cm3 mol−1) as the ZnO content increased from 5 to 20 mol%. The criterion of metallization (MCri.) was observed in the range of 0.419 to 0.384. The factor of optical transmission (TOpt.) decreased from 0.814 to 0.788. The dielectric constant (εSta.) varied from 3.763 to 4.202. The electro-negativity (χ*) decreased from 0.943 to 0.792. The non-linear optical susceptibility (χ3) changed from 3.984 × 10−13 to 7.185 × 10−13 esu. The non-linear refractive index varied from 0.739 × 10−11 to 1.320 × 10−11 esu. The radiation shielding properties of the chosen glasses (TCN-Z05, TCN-Z10, TCN-Z15, and TCN-Z20) were tested in terms of gamma radiation (photons up to 1.275 MeV) and beta radiation (electrons up to 0.723 MeV). The gamma shielding investigations were performed by using FLUKA and XCOM platforms. The beta shielding study was carried out via ESTAR program by estimating TSP for all the chosen glasses. From the view of practical application, it is found that the HVL and MFP values of the chosen glasses are evidently lower than those of ordinary concrete and RS-253-G18 commercial glass, while they are higher than those of RS-360 glass at low energies.