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Sodium zinc borate glasses doped with dysprosium and modified with different concentrations of barium oxide (0–50 mol %) were fabricated using the melting quenching technique. The structural properties of the prepared glass systems were characterized using XRD and FTIR methods. The absorption spectra of the prepared glasses were measured to determine their energy gap and their related optical properties. The density of the glasses and other physical parameters were also reported. Additionally, with the help of Photon Shielding and Dosimetry (PSD) software, we investigated the radiation shielding parameters of the prepared glass systems at different energy values. It was found that an increase in the density of the glasses by increasing the concentration of BaO significantly improved the gamma ray shielding ability of the samples. For practical results, a compatible irradiation set up was designed to check the shielding capability of the obtained glasses using a gamma ray source at 662 keV. The experimentally obtained results strongly agreed with the data obtained by PDS software at the same energy. These results demonstrated that the investigated glass system is a good candidate for several radiation shielding applications when comparing it with other commercial shielding glasses and concretes.

Gamma radiation shielding features for three series of binary alloys identified as (Pb–Sn), (Pb–Zn), and (Zn–Sn) have been investigated. The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) for the selected alloys were simulated using the MCNP-5 code in the energy range between 0.01 and 15 MeV. Moreover, the (μ/ρ) values were computed using WinXCOM database in the same energy range to validate the simulation results. Results reveal a good agreement between the simulated and computed values. The half value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Zeff) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) were evaluated for the selected binary alloys. Results showed that the PS1, PZ1, and ZS2 alloys have the best shielding parameters and better than the commercially standard and available radiation shielding materials. Therefore, the investigated alloys can be used as effective radiation shielding materials against gamma ray with energies between 0.01 and 15 MeV.

Mechanical moduli, such as Young’s modulus (E), Bulks modulus (B), Shear modulus (S), longitudinal modulus (L), Poisson’s ratio (σ) and micro Hardness (H) were theoretically calculated for (100-x)TeO2+x MgO glasses, where x = 10, 20, 30, 40 and 45 mol%, based on the Makishima–Mackenzie model. The estimated results showed that the mechanical moduli and the microhardness of the glasses were improved with the increase of the MgO contents in the TM glasses, while Poisson’s ratio decreased with the increase in MgO content. Moreover, the radiation shielding capacity was evaluated for the studied TM glasses. Thus, the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), transmission factor (TF) and half-value thickness (Δ0.5) were simulated for gamma photon energies between 0.344 and 1.406 MeV. The simulated results showed that glass TM10 with 10 mol % MgO possess the highest LAC and varied in the range between 0.259 and 0.711 cm−1, while TM45 glass with 45 mol % MgO possess the lowest LAC and vary in the range between 0.223 and 0.587 cm−1 at gamma photon energies between 0.344 and 1.406 MeV. Furthermore, the BXCOM program was applied to calculate the effective atomic number (Zeff), equivalent atomic number (Zeq) and buildup factors (EBF and EABF) of the glasses. The effective removal cross-section for the fast neutrons (ERCSFN, ∑R) was also calculated theoretically. The received data depicts that the lowest ∑R was achieved for TM10 glasses, where ∑R = 0.0193 cm2 g−1, while TM45 possesses the highest ERCSFN where ∑R = 0.0215 cm2 g−1.

The current study aims to explore the shielding properties of multi-component borate-based glass series. Seven glass-samples with composition of (80-y)H3BO3–10ZnO–10Na2O–yBaO where (y = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mol.%) were synthesized by melt-quench method. Various shielding features for photons, neutrons, and protons were determined for all prepared samples. XCOM, Phy-X program, and SRIM code were performed to determine and explain several shielding properties such as equivalent atomic number, exposure build-up factor, specific gamma-ray constants, effective removal cross-section (ΣR), neutron scattering and absorption, Mass Stopping Power (MSP) and projected range. The energy ranges for photons and protons were 0.015–15 MeV and 0.01–10 MeV, respectively. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) was also determined experimentally by utilizing two radioactive sources (166Ho and 137Cs). Consistent results were obtained between experimental and XCOM values in determining μ/ρ of the new glasses. The addition of BaO to the glass matrix led to enhance the μ/ρ and specific gamma-ray constants of glasses. Whereas the remarkable reductions in ΣR, MSP, and projected range values were reported with increasing BaO concentrations. The acquired results nominate the use of these glasses in different radiation shielding purposes.

Six borate and silica glasses with varying compositions were investigated for their mechanical and radiation shielding viability. Makishima-Mackenzie elastic model was utilized to study the elastic properties of the investigated glasses. The obtained results illustrated that PbO and Bi2O3 oxides reduced the glass samples' mechanical properties. For instance, the bulks' model decreased between 68.15 and 44.10 GPa, the shear model also followed the same trend and decreased from 31.95 to 23.33 GPa, reducing the PbO and Bi2O3 ratios in the studied glass samples. Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP-5) was utilized to evaluate the investigated glasses' shielding capacity. The obtained results depict that the highest linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) occurred at 0.356 MeV; it takes values 0.618, 1.024, 1.161, 1.271, 1.963, and 2.071 cm−1 for G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, and G6. Based on the simulated values of LAC, other shielding properties such as transmission rate (TR), radiation protection efficiency (RPE), half-value layer (HVL) were evaluated. The calculated results illustrated that the shielding properties enhanced with Bi2O3 and PbO insertion ratios.

Geant4 simulation was applied to correct the coincidence summing (CS) effect in detecting a volumetric γ-ray sources, and this technique was applied to a152Eu standard sources. The radioactive sources were a liquid cylindrical, rectangular, and Marinelli beaker shapes of different volume for each one. Radionuclide track (RT) including coincidence summing and monoenergetic track without coincidence summing. The results obtained from two approaches compared with the experimental data and the modified KORSUM code for cylindrical γ-ray source. The comparison showed that the adopted method in this investigation is useful for coincidence summing corrections for a voluminous γ-ray sources.Moreover, this technique requires far less computation time than the techniques that depend on the calculation of total efficiency.

Both Micro 0.5 µm and Zero valent aluminum nanoparticles 30 nm were prepared by Arc discharge technique to evaluate the efficiency of radiation detectors, where the protective layer from bulk aluminum gamma is replaced by nanoparticle aluminum layer. As well known the efficiency of the detector depends on the number of photons reach the sensitive volume of the detector. To achieve this aim Micro and nano aluminum samples were prepared, and their linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) were experimentally determined. The LAC of micro Al was compared with theoretical values obtained from XCOM and the results proved that the experimental data could adequately be used to evaluate the shielding ability of the Al samples. The results also demonstrated that at all energies, nano Al had a lower LAC. This means in the case of nano Al, the absorption of photons is lower compared to the presence of micro Al. The ratio between the number of counts in the presence of an aluminum sample (micro and nano) to the number of counts in the absence of sample was calculated. At low, moderate, and high energies and it showed that nano Al had a greater and better ratio at all energy ranges. Thus, it was concluded that aluminum nanoparticles can be used sufficiently in detectors instead of aluminum microparticles (Al-Protecting layer) to enhance their ability to detect incoming photons, especially at low energies.

The purpose of this effort is to create and characterize new borate-based glass samples in terms of their physical, structural, and gamma ray shielding capabilities. The density of the current samples, was examined experimentally and has a range of 2.2057–2.9055 g/cm3. The physical parameters such molar volume, ionic concentration, the volume of boron atoms per mole, optical basicity, and oxygen packing density (OPD) are computed by following the established approach. The XRD spectra is also recorded and there are two broad humps which shows that the structure of fabricated glasses is amorphous in nature. Moreover, the FTIR spectra were recorded in the spectral range 1600–400 cm−1. Using the Phy-X/PSD online tool, the gamma ray shielding capabilities of the manufactured glasses were examined. At the highest energy, LiKBTe0 has mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) equal to 0.039 cm2/g and LiKBTe20 has a MAC equal to 0.038 cm2/g. At 0.347 MeV, the LiKBTe20 sample has effective atomic number (Zeff) of 11.67 and the LiKBTe0 sample has a Zeff of 7.85, which is due to Te’s much greater atomic number compared to B. Half value layer (HVL) increases with increasing energy. When considering which glass best boosts shielding qualities, 10 Li2O- 20 K2O − 50 B2O3 – 20TeO2 glass comes out on top.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of particle size on the mass dependent attenuation ability of bulk and nanoparticles PbO. The mass attenuation coefficient, or MAC, of the samples was experimentally calculated using the HPGe detector at various selected energies (between 0.1218 MeV and 1.408 MeV). The experimental data were then compared to theoretical results obtained using the XCOM software to examine the validity of the experimental values. The two methods were found to strongly agree with each other. The half value layer (HVL) and tenth value layer (TVL) of the two samples were determined against increasing photon energies. The mass of the bulk PbO and PbO nanoparticles needed to attenuate half and 90% of the incoming radiation was evaluated. For both parameters, the results demonstrated that the mass needed to absorb the same amount of radiation was lower for the PbO nanoparticles, meaning that the PbO nanoparticles are more desirable in applications when mass is a concern, such as when fabricating a lead apron for instance.

This work investigated the radiation attenuation characteristics of three series of tellurite glass systems with the following compositions: 30PbO-10ZnO-xTeO2-(60-x)B2O3 where x = 10, 30, 40, 50 and 60 mol%, xBaO–xB2O3–(100-2x)TeO2 with x = 15–40 mol% and 50ZnO–(50-x)P2O5–xTeO2, where x = 0, 10, .40 mol%. The results revealed that the attenuation parameters in all the samples decrease with increase in the energy, which implied that all the samples have better interaction with gamma photons at low energies and thus higher photon attenuating efficiency. From the three systems, the samples coded as PbZnBTe60, BaBTe70 and ZnPTe40 have the lowest half value layer values and accordingly have superior photon attenuation efficacy. The maximum effective atomic number values were found for energy less than 0.1 MeV particularly near the K-edges absorption of the heavy atomic number elements such as Te, Ba and Pb. At the lowest energy, the Zeff values are found in the range of 62.33–66.25, 49.43–50.81 and 24.99–35.83 for series 1–3 respectively. Also, we found that the density of the glass remarkably affects the photon attenuation ability of the selected glasses. The mean free path results showed that the PbO-ZnO-TeO2-B2O3 glass system has better radiation shielding efficiency than the glass samples in series 2 and 3. Keywords: Tellurite glasses, Gamma radiation, Shielding, Effective atomic number

The mass attenuation coefficient μm for eight rock samples having different chemical composition was simulated using the MCNP 5 code in energy range (0.002MeV≤E≤10MeV). Moreover, the μm for the studied rock samples was computed theoretically using XCOM database. The comparison between simulated and computed data for all selected rock samples showed a good agreement with differences varied between 0.01 and 8%. The highest μm was found for basalt rocks M2 and M1 and the lowest one is reported for limestone rocks Dike. The simulated values of the μm then were used to calculate other important shielding parameters such as the mean free path, effective electron density and effective atomic number. The exposure buildup factor EBF was also computed for the selected rocks with the contribution of G-P fitting parameters and the highest EBF attended by the basalt sample Sill and varied between 1.022 and 744 in the energy range between (0.015≤E≤15MeV) but the lowest EBF achieved by basalt sample M2 and varied between 1.017 and 491 in the same energy range. Keywords: Gamma ray, Shielding properties, Natural rocks, MCNP, Buildup factor

The fast-neutron shielding behaviour (FNSB) of two clay-materials (Ball clay and Kaolin)of Southwestern Nigeria (7.49°N, 4.55°E) have been investigated using effective removal cross section, ΣR(cm-1), mass removal cross section, ΣR/ρ(cm2g-1) and Mean free path, λ (cm). These parameters decide neutron shielding behaviour of any material. A computer program - WinNC-Toolkit has been used for computation of these parameters. The toolkit evaluates these parameters by using elemental compositions and densities of samples. The proficiency of WinNC-Toolkit code was probe by using MCNPX and GEANT4 to model fast neutron transmission of the samples under narrow beam geometry, intending to represent the actual experimental setup. Direct calculation of effective removal cross section (cm−1) of the samples was also carried out. The results from each of the methods for each types of the studied clay-materials (Ball clay and Kaolin) shows similar trend. The trend might be the fingerprint of water content retained in each of the samples being baked at different temperature. The compositions of each sample have been obtained by Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique (Tandem Pelletron Accelerator: 1.7 MV, Model 5SDH). The FNSB of the selected clay-materials have been compared with standard concrete. The cognizance of various factors such as availability, thermo-chemical stability and water retaining ability by the clay-samples can be analyzed for efficacy of the material for their FNSB. Keywords: Composite materials, Effective removal cross-section, Mass removal cross section, Mean free path, Fast-neutrons, WinNC-toolkit, PIXE, MCNPX, GEANT4

A comprehensive study of photon interaction features has been made for some alloys containing Pd and Ag content to evaluate its possible use as alternative gamma radiations shielding material. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) of the present alloys was measured at various photon energies between 81 keV–1333 keV utilizing HPGe detector. The measured μ/ρ values were compared to those of theoretical and computational (MCNPX code) results. The results exhibited that the μ/ρ values of the studied alloys are in the same line with results of WinXCOM software and MCNPX code results at all energies. Moreover, Pd75/Ag25 alloy sample has the maximum radiation protection efficiency (about 53% at 81 keV) and lowest half value layer, which shows that Pd75/Ag25 has superior gamma radiation shielding performance among the other compared alloys. Keywords: Alloys, Shielding material, MCNPX, Photon, HPGe detector

The lead element or its salts are good radiation shielding materials. However, their toxic effects are high. Due to less toxicity of bismuth salts, the radiation shielding properties of the bismuth salts have been investigated and compared to that of lead salts to establish them as a better alternative to radiation shielding material to the lead element or its salts. The transmission geometry was utilized to measure the mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) of different salts containing lead and bismuth using a high-resolution HPGe detector and different energies (between 81 and 1333 keV) emitted from point sources of 133Ba, 57Co, 22Na, 54Mn, 137Cs, and 60Co. The experimental μ/ρ results are compared with the theoretical values obtained through WinXCOM program. The theoretical calculations are in good agreement with their experimental ones. The radiation protection efficiencies, mean free paths, effective atomic numbers and electron densities for the present compounds were determined. The bismuth fluoride (BiF3) is found to have maximum radiation protection efficiency among the selected salts. The results showed that present salts are more effective for reducing the intensity of gamma photons at low energy region. Keywords: Lead, Bismuth, Photon, HPGe detector, Radiation protection efficiency

In the present work, we determined the gamma-ray attenuation characteristics of eight different polymers(Polyamide (Nylon 6) (PA-6), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinylidenechloride (PVDC), polyaniline (PANI), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyphenylenesulfide (PPS), polypyrrole (PPy) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) using transmission geometry utilizing the high resolution HPGe detector and different radioactive sources in the energy range 81–1333 keV. The experimental linear attenuation coefficient values are compared with theoretical data (WinXCOM data). The linear attenuation coefficient of all polymers reduced quickly with the increase in energy, at the beginning, while decrease more slowly in the region from 267 keV to 835 keV. The effective atomic number of PVDC and PTFE are comparatively higher than the Zeff of the remaining polymers, while PA-6 possesses the lowest effective atomic number. The half value layer results showed that PTFE (C2F4, highest density) is more effective to attenuate the gamma photons. Also, the theoretical results of macroscopic effective removal cross section for fast neutrons (∑R) were computed to investigate the neutron attenuation characteristics. It is found that the ∑R values of the eight investigated polymers are close and ranged from 0.07058 cm−1 for PVDC to 0.11510 cm−1 for PA-6. Keywords: Polymer, Neutron, Gamma photon, Attenuation, Shielding

In the present work, some radiation shielding quantities (mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic number, effective electron density, half value layer and mean free path) for various BaO–MoO3–P2O5 ternary glass systems have been determined within the 0.015–15 MeV energy range, using WinXCom program. Additionally, the mass attenuation coefficients of all the investigated glasses have been calculated using MCNPX simulation code (version 2.6.0) and compared to those of WinXCom results. Among the studied glasses, BaMoP8 glass sample with MoO3 content of 70% mol is found to have superior gamma-ray shielding characteristics. Moreover, the glasses studied in this paper possess better radiation shielding properties by providing shorter half value layer (HVL) than RS-253 G18 commercial glass and some concrete samples namely ordinary, hematite-serpentine and ilmanite-limonite. Keywords: MoO3-based glass, Radiation shielding, Attenuation coefficients, WinXCom, MCNPX

Bioactive glasses are silicate glasses with sodium, calcium and phosphorus in its composition used to fulfill or support the functions of living tissues in the human body. The superiority of physical and mechanical properties of the bioactive glasses leads to the opportunity to use for radiation protection. From this point of view, radiation absorption parameters of nine bioactive glasses were reported in the present research. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) for the selected bioactive glasses was calculated using MCNPX simulation code in the photon energy range 0.02–20 MeV and the results were compared with XCOM data. The values of μ/ρ calculated in two methods were found to support each other. Other vital parameters like half and tenth value layer (HVL and TVL), mean free path (MFP) and effective atomic number (Zeff) for the selected bioactive glasses were also evaluated by utilizing the μ/ρ. ICSW9 glass with more phosphate and sodium contents possess the lowest MFP, HVL and TVL values while has the highest Zeff values among the bioactive glasses under study. To evaluate the neutron protection performance of investigated bioactive glasses, effective removal cross-section values (ΣR) have been determined. The results showed that ICSW9 has also superior neutron attenuation properties. Additionally, exposure buildup factor (EBF) values were found with G-P fitting approach depending on the energy and penetration depths. The bioactive glasses with further equivalent atomic number possesses the minimum value of EBF. Keywords: Bioactive glass, Silicate glasses, Radiation protection, MCNPX

In the present work, we studied the radiation shielding parameters such as mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic number, half value layer, mean free path, macroscopic effective removal cross-sections and neutron transmission function for samarium doped lead alumino borate glasses containing barium, lithium and zinc oxides at medical diagnostic energies (between 20 and 150 keV) using MCNPX code. The results showed that the photon attenuation depends on the type of modifier used (i.e. ZnO, BaO or Li2O) and also, upon the energy of the photon. The higher mass attenuation coefficients were found for the glass containing BaO. The results also revealed that the glass containing Li2O has the maximum effective atomic number between 20 and 40 keV. In addition, some important neutron shielding parameters such as macroscopic effective removal cross-sections (ΣR) and neutron transmission function (N/N0) have been calculated for investigated glass samples. Keywords: XCOM, Glasses, MCNPX, Attenuation, Gamma photon, Neutron

Glass systems of composition 16XO–3Al2O3–6CuO–20Na2O–55P2O5 (where X = Sr, Ca, Mg and Ba mol%) have been investigated to check its potential utilize as gamma ray shielding material. Different shielding quantities namely mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ), effective atomic number (Zeff), half value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) have been evaluated using MCNPX code and XCOM program at different photon energies between 0.015 and 10 MeV. The obtained data revealed good agreement between the µ/ρ values derived from XCOM and MCNPX code (version 2.6.0). It is found that the mass attenuation coefficients of BaO-doped phosphate glass are higher than those of the other alkaline earth elements–doped glasses, whereas MgO possess the lowest values. This indicates that the BaO-doped phosphate glass is the superior gamma radiation attenuator among the studied glass samples. The gamma shielding performance of the glasses under study has been compared to some commercial glasses and different concrete samples in terms of MFP. Keywords: Phosphate glass, Radiation, Attenuation coefficients, XCom, Effective atomic number, MCNPX

This study focuses on radiation shielding characteristics of Li2O, Al2O3 and ZnO-doped boron phosphate glasses containing PbO and Bi2O3. Mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) values of the glasses have been calculated using MCNPX code at various photon energies ranging from 60 to 120 keV and compared to those of XCOM software. The obtained results exhibited that MCNPX and XCOM are in good agreement at all energies. Some shielding parameters such as effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Nel), half value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP) and Photon transmission factors (TF-photon) were determined using the obtained mass attenuation coefficients. Moreover, macroscopic effective removal cross sections (ΣR) and neutron transmission factors (TF-neutron) for fast neutrons have been evaluated. To simulate the attenuation properties of investigated glasses in a diagnostic radiology operation facility (control room), each boron phosphate glass sample was placed in front of a mathematical human head phantom namely SNYDER. For the glasses under examination, average photon flux in the eight detection points, which were located in different points of SNYDER head phantom, was calculated. Among the studied glasses, BPM4 sample has showed superior photon and neutron radiation shielding effectiveness. It can be concluded that boron-doped glasses are superior shielding materials for both gamma ray and neutrons. Keywords: Boron phosphate glasses, MCNPX, Radiation protection, SNYDER

Stainless steel is commonly used in radiation applications for its high temperature resistance and fine mechanical properties. In this study, three types of high alloyed stainless-steel samples were produced. Before the production, GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit was used to estimate the total fast neutron macroscopic cross sections and gamma mass attenuation coefficients. The hot-pressing process and the powder metallurgy method were applied. We tested samples’ chemical and mechanical strength. Samples were exposed to both gamma rays and fast neutrons. The obtained simulation and experimental results for both neutron and gamma radiation are compatible. According to the simulation and experimental results, neutron shielding capacity of the new stainless-steel alloys is higher than the most commonly used 316LN stainless steel in nuclear applications. Among the prepared samples, SSA1 steel has the smallest half value layer at the all examined energies. All the prepared samples posses higher mass attenuation coefficient values and lower half value layer than 316LN steel. This indicates that the produced three new high alloyed stainless-steel samples have high gamma absorption capacity when compared to 316LN steel. Keywords: Neutron, Gamma shielding, Stainless steel, GEANT4

Glasses based on 10ZnO-5Na2CO3-10Bi2O3-(75-x)B2O3-xEr2O3 with x = (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0) mol%, were synthesized by melt quenching technique and characterized through optical and luminescent features, before and after irradiating them with high energy (1.25 MeV) gamma rays. The amorphous nature of the glasses and the presence of various structural groups like BiO6, BO3 and BO4 were confirmed through XRD and FTIR measurements. Optical properties were studied through UV–VIS–NIR absorption spectra. Decrease in band gap values after gamma irradiation confirmed the creation of color centers in the glass matrix. Thermally stimulated Luminescence (TL) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) spectroscopy techniques were used to study the trap centers induced after irradiation. The number of peaks and their trapping parameters were assessed using the Computerized Glow Curve Deconvolution (CGCD). The linearity in dose response proves their suitability in usage for dosimeter and shields in radiation zones within the dose. Keywords: Absorption, Erbium, Optically Stimulated Luminescence, Thermoluminescence, Scanning Electron Micrograph, Trap parameters

The mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic numbers and electron densities of different parts (aerial parts, root and flower) of four medicinal aromatic plants (Pimpinella tragium subsp. lithophila, Scutellaria orientalis subsp. orientalis, Tanacetum abrotanifolium and Stachys byzantina c. koch) have been determined experimentally using transmission beam method for gamma energies of 13.92, 17.75, 20.78, 26.34 and 59.54 keV. The obtained mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic numbers and electron densities were validated using WinXCOM program and good agreements were obtained for all samples. The aerial parts of the Scutellaria orientalis subsp. orientalis was found to having the maximum mass attenuation coefficients and effective atomic numbers values among the present samples. The root part of the Scutellariaorientalis subsp. orientalis has bigger values of effective electron density within the selected samples The effective atomic numbers for the present samples lie in the 3.117–6.932 range and the effective electron densities lie in the range of (0.272–1.672)x1025 electrons/g. Keywords: Medicinal aromatic plants, Radiation, Mass attenuation coefficient, Effective atomic number, Effective electron density

Perlite mineral contains relatively high water and in general hydrated obsidian forms the perlite which is mainly an amorphous volcanic glass. Photon attenuation properties for different concrete types including natural perlite mineral and B4C have been experimentally investigated by using different radioactive point sources at 81, 276, 303, 356, 384, 662, 1173, 1275 and 1333 keV. SEM and EDAX analyses were carried out to control the crystal structure of the selected concrete types. In this work, HPGe detector based on gamma spectrometer was employed for all experiments. The results revealed that among the prepared concrete samples, the P6 concrete sample has the lowest HVL and MFP values and thus, having best ability to attenuate gamma rays in comparison to the other prepared concretes. Keywords: Radiation shielding, Attenuation coefficient, Gamma spectrometer, Perlite

In this study, the optical and gamma ray shielding properties of vanadotellurite-based quaternary glasses in the xNa2O-(20-x)K2O-30V2O5-50TeO2 system were examined. The optical band gap (Eopt) displayed an initial reduction from 2.33 to 2.30 eV (x ≤ 10 mol%), before increasing from 2.31 to 2.39 eV for x > 10 mol%, which indicated a change in non-bridging oxygen (NBO) concentration. There is an inverse relationship between Urbach energy (Eu) and Eopt. The refractive index (n) also showed an off-trend pattern within the same area (x = 10 mol%), which indicated a difference in polarizability due to changes in BO and NBO concentrations. The Phy-X software was used to analyse the radiation attenuation competence for the investigated glass systems. For the total interaction of photons between the 0.284 to 2.506 MeV energy range, the linear attenuation coefficients (LAC), the radiation protection efficiency (RPE), half-value layers (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) were determined. The increased Na2O content increased the values of LAC and RPE. The results demonstrated that the 20Na2O-30V2O5-50TeO2 composition had the most desired photon shielding properties.

The radiation shielding properties of zinc borate glasses with lithium oxide replacing bismuth oxide were investigated using Phy-X/PSD. The glasses have a composition of (25-x)Bi2O3-60B2O3-15ZnO-xLi2O, where x = 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mol%, and are coded as S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5 in increasing Li2O content. Phy-X/PSD was used to determine the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), half value layer (HVL), effective atomic number (Zeff), tenth value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP) of the investigated glasses. S1 was found to have the greatest MAC and LAC values, 0.415 cm2/g and 1.868 cm−1 at 0.2447 MeV respectively, while S5 had the least, 0.115 cm2/g and 0.301 cm−1 respectively at the same energy. The maximum HVL values was found at 1.46 MeV and are equal to 2.926 cm, 3.427 cm, 3.766 cm, 4.159 cm, and 5.222 cm for S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5 glasses, respectively. The minimum HVL values occurred at the lowest tested energy, 0.2447 MeV, and increased with increasing energy, meaning that the glasses are more effective at lower energies. The Zeff values inversely correlated with the Li2O content in the glasses, following the order of S1 > S2 > S3 > S4 > S5 at all energies. At 0.41 MeV, the Zeff values are equal to 25.15, 21.52, 17.42, 12.75, and 7.35 for S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5 respectively. At all energies, TVL decreased with increasing density; for instance, decreasing from 17.347 cm to 9.718 cm when density increased from 2.613 g/cm3 to 4.503 g/cm3 at 1.458 MeV. The MFP of the zinc borate glasses were compared against other shielding glasses and it was found that the S1 glass outperformed five of the other glasses at 0.2447 MeV and six of the others at 1.458 MeV. The results proved that the S1 glass, the glass with the greatest Bi2O3 content and density, has the greatest potential for radiation shielding applications.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer in the world: it has a variety of applications due to its low cost, elasticity, light weight, good mechanical characteristics and corrosion resistance. In order to protect living beings from harmful radiation such as gamma rays, novel low-cost chalcocite and hematite-based PVCs were fabricated for shielding purposes. The mass attenuation coefficient μm for various fabricated hematite and chalcocite-based PVCs was calculated using MCNP-5 code. The results were compared with the values calculated theoretically using XCOM software between 0.015 and 15 MeV. Moreover, the simulated μm parameter for chalcocite/PVC and hematite/PVC was used to calculate other shielding factors, such as the half value layer (HVL), the mean free path (MFP) effective atomic number Zeff, the geometric-progress (G-P) fitting parameters and the exposure buildup factor (EBF). The simulated data of μm for all composites is comparable to that obtained from a theoretical calculation. The results showed that the addition of hematite and chalcocite enhance the μm of PVC polymers. We also found that the μm of chalcocite/PVC is higher than that of hematite/PVC due to the copper content in the former.

Natural sepiolite mineral is a naturally occurring clay form belonging to a part of layered silicate. Because of its advantages such as low production cost, light-weight and convenient, it may be selected as an alternative shielding material to others. Radiation shielding performances of some concretes to sepiolite and B4C addictive have been researched reported in a wide energy region of 0.08–1.333 MeV using experimental data, MCNP and XCOM. The simulated data obtained by MCNPX are discussed and compared with the experimental results as well as with the XCOM results. The simulations match the experiments very well except for S3 sample. From the measurement, the maximum gamma-ray attenuation was detected in the concrete specimen with 10% sepiolite (S1) while the minimum attenuation of gamma-ray was noted in the concrete specimen with 30% sepiolite (S3). The addition of sepiolite mineral to concretes may be an alternative option that can be used in several radiation protection applications. Keywords: Sepiolite, Radiation shielding, Attenuation coefficients, MCNPX, XCOM

In this study, the gamma radiation attenuation features of barium zirconat, barium titanate (IV), magnesium nitride, barium pyrophosphate and silicon carbide were studied using the narrow beam geometrical setup in the energy range of 81 keV–1333 keV. The mass attenuation coefficients have been measured and then used to obtain half value layers, mean free paths and effective atomic numbers of the present materials. It is found that the change in the mass attenuation coefficient is considerable for low photon energies (between 81 and 276 keV), whereas the change in this parameter is comparatively small between 303 and 835 keV photon energies. At high energies (1173, 1275 and 1333 keV), the results showed that the mass attenuation coefficient values for all samples are almost the same which revealed that the present ceramics does not have a significant effect on the amount of attenuation of photon at higher energies. The radiation protection efficiency results revealed that BaZrO3 has the maximum capability in attenuation of gamma photons followed by BaTiO3 and Ba2P2O7, especially at low energies. Keywords: Gamma radiation, Attenuation, Ceramic, Effective atomic number, Radiation protection efficiency

The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) of food waste samples (pomegranate peel, acorn cap, lemon peel, mandarin peel, pumpkin peel, grape peel, orange peel, pineapple peel, acorn peel and grape stalk) have been measured employing a Si(Li) detector at 13.92, 17.75, 20.78, 26.34 and 59.54 keV. Also, the theoretical values of the mass attenuation coefficients have been evaluated utilizing mixture rule from WinXCOM program. The results showed that the lemon peel has the highest values of μ/ρ among the selected samples. From the obtained mass attenuation coefficients, we determined some absorption parameters such as effective atomic number (Zeff), electron density (NE) and molar extinction coefficient (ε). It was found that the Zeff values of all food wastes lie within the range of 4.034–7.595, whereas the NE of the studied food wastes was found to be in the range of 0.301–1.720 × 1025 (electrons/g) for present energy region. Keywords: Food waste, Photon, Mass attenuation coefficient, Effective atomic number, Molar extinction coefficient

The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ), effective atomic numbers (Zeff) and electron densities (Ne) of some amino acids obtained experimentally by the other researchers have been calculated using MCNP5 simulations in the energy range 0.122–1.330 MeV. The simulated values of μ/ρ, Zeff, and Ne were compared with the previous experimental work for the amino acids samples and a good agreement was noticed. Moreover, the values of mean free path (MFP) for the samples were calculated using MCNP5 program and compared with the theoretical results obtained by XCOM. The investigation of μ/ρ, Zeff, Ne and MFP values of amino acids using MCNP5 simulations at various photon energies when compared with the XCOM values and previous experimental data for the amino acids samples revealed that MCNP5 code provides accurate photon interaction parameters for amino acids. Keywords: Amino acids, MCNP5 simulations, XCOM program, Radiation properties

In the present study, the exposure buildup factors (EBF) have been investigated using geometric progression (G-P) fitting method for different types of smart polymers (DMSO, PDMS, PES, PMA, PVDC, and PVDF) in the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. From the calculations, the values of the EBF were depended on the incident photon energy, penetration depth as well as chemical composition of the polymers. In the intermediate energy region, the EBF values were reached at maximum point while in low and high energy regions, the EBF values were decreased at minimum point. The obtained results of the selected polymers have been compared in terms of EBF with Al2O3 and other common polymers such as PAN, Teflon and SR. The shielding effectiveness of the selected polymers is found to be comparable to the common polymers. The results of this work should be useful in radiation shielding applications such as in industry, medical and nuclear engineering. Keywords: Smart polymers, Equivalent atomic numbers, Exposure buildup factors, G-P fitting, Shielding properties

In the present research work, the mass attenuation coefficients (μm) representing the interaction of gamma photons with some oxide of lanthanides (Lu2O3Yb2O3, Er2O3, Sm2O3, Dy2O3, Eu2O3, Nd2O3, Pr6O11, La2O3 and Ce2O3) were investigated using WinXCom software in the wide energy range of 1 keV–100 GeV. The calculated values of μm afterwards were used to evaluate some gamma rays sensing properties as effective atomic effective atomic numbers (Zeff), effective electron densities (Nel), half value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP). The computed data observes that, the Lu2O3 shown excellent γ-rays sensing response in the broad energy range. At the absorption edges of the high elements present in the lanthanide compounds, more than a single value of Zeff were found due to the non-uniform variation of µm. Comparisons with experiments wherever possible have been achieved for the calculated µm and Zeff values. The calculated properties are beneficial expanded use of designing in radiation shielding, gas sensors, glass coloring agent and in electronic sensing devices. Keywords: Oxide of lanthanides, Gamma ray sensors, Effective atomic numbers, Half value layer

The present investigation has been performed on different bricks for the purpose of gamma-ray shielding. The values of the mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ), energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) were determined and utilized to assess the shielding effectiveness of the bricks under investigation. The mass attenuation coefficients of the selected bricks were calculated theoretically using WinXcom program and compared with MCNPX code. Good agreement between WinXcom and MCNPX results was observed. Furthermore, the EABF and EBF have been discussed as functions of the incident photon energy and penetration depth. It has been found that the EABF and EBF values are very large in the intermediate energy region. The steel slag showed good shielding properties, consequently, this brick is eco-friendly and feasible compared with other types of bricks used for construction. The results in this work should be useful in the construction of effectual shielding against hazardous gamma-rays. Keywords: Brick, Mass attenuation coefficient, Buildup factor, G-P fitting, Radiation shielding

Shielding parameter of eight (A–H) selected soil samples collected from different sites in Bingöl city and Genç district, Turkey have been comprehensively measured with fifteen different photon energies in the energy range from 13.94 keV to 88.04 keV. The soil samples were irradiated with 100 mCi 241Am, 10 mCi 133Ba and 40 mCi 109Cd radioactive point source using transmission geometry arrangement. The results were compared with those obtained by WinXCom and FFAST programs. The experimental results were found to be very close to both WinXCom and FFAST results. In addition, the effective atomic number, effective electron density, radiation protection efficiency and exposure buildup factor were determined using the obtained mass attenuation coefficients and standard formula. The results showed that the mass attenuation coefficients, as well as the effective atomic number of soil A and soil G, are relatively higher than those of other soils, which signify that both soils A and G provide superior shielding from gamma and X-rays. Keywords: Transmission geometry, Soil, Shielding parameters, Mass attenuation coefficient, Exposure buildup factor

In the present work, seven glass samples have been prepared utilizing melt-quenching method with composition of 40B2O3-10SiO2-10Al2O3-30ZnO-10 (Li2O/Na2O/K2O/MgO/CaO/SrO/BaO) all in mol%. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) have characterized for H3 (K2O) and H7 (BaO), to examine the structural properties. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) has shown that the boron (B) element composition is highest after oxygen elements in all the glasses. It has been also observed that incorporation of potassium (K) and strontium (Sr) elements are maximum compared to the other doped elements into the glass. Further, the photon shielding for H1-H7 samples were also studied. We calculated the mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) for the present samples at some energies between 0.015 and 10 MeV. The results revealed that H7 (BaO) sample owns the highest μ/ρ values followed by H6 (SrO) while H1 (Li2O) has the lowest μ/ρ. Moreover, H7 and H6 samples have higher effective atomic number than the rest of glasses. H7 sample has excellent shielding properties when compared with the other glasses. We found that the composition of the sample affects the attenuation of the glasses and high attenuation can be achieved when we used heavy metal oxides (such as BaO). Keywords: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Borosilicate glasses, Radiation, Attenuation

Photon and neutron attenuation properties of La2O3 based Li2O-SiO2-La2O3 glass system have been evaluated through MCNPX (2.6.0) Monte Carlo code at some photon energies of 0.256–1.33 MeV. In order to control the accuracy of the data, the estimated MCNPX of mass attenuation coefficients have been compared to those of WinXCOM software. The half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL) and mean free path (MFP) values of the selected glass system exhibited that the shielding performance of the gamma photons is related to the density of glass, thus, the inclusion of TeO2 to Li2O-SiO2 improves the capacity of the glass system to attenuate more photons. In addition, the effective removal cross-section (ΣR) calculations have been done. Further, Mass sopping power (MSP) and Projected range (PR) are calculated for proton particles (H1) and alpha particles (He+2). It may be deduced that La4 glass among the studied samples may be kept in view as a superior glass in terms of shielding for photon and neutron while La0 glass can be considered as a best shielding material against to alpha and proton particles. The results of this study may be useful for shielding optimization of medical and industrial facilities. Keywords: Radiation shielding, La2O3, Silicate glasses, MCNPX, MSP, PR

Monte Carlo simulations, MCNP5 and Geant4 codes were developed to investigate radiation shielding properties of xPbO–(50-x) BaO–50B2O3 (where 5 ≤ x ≤ 45 mol%) consider to be glass systems. The mass attenuation coefficients were evaluated for different PbO concentration in the glass samples for varies photon energies of 0.356, 0.662, 1.173 and 1.332 MeV. The obtained mass attenuation coefficient values used to calculate half-value layer, effective atomic number, and electron density. The simulation parameters were compared with experimental data. Results show that the simulation results of mass attenuation coefficients for all PbO concentrations were generally in good agreement with experimental results, however, mass attenuation coefficient values calculated using Geant4 were slightly lower than MCNP5 and experimental data on the low energy of 0.356 MeV. The results obtained from MCNP5 and Geant4 codes might be able to assessment mass attenuation for different glass systems. Furthermore, gamma ray, fast neutron and charged particle interaction for the glass systems were studied using buildup factors, fast neutron removal cross sections and ranges respectively.

In this study, a series of 75TeO2-5Li2O-10ZnO-(10-x)Nb2O5-(x)Er2O3 (where x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.8 mol%) glasses have been surveyed in terms of photon and neutron shielding characteristics. For this aim, 3 × 3 inch NaI(Tl) detector has been simulated in order to detect photons. Afterwards, the mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) and some shielding quantities such as half-value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Nel), equivalent atomic number (Zeq) and exposure build-up factor (EBF) have been calculated. The obtained MCNPX results of all the glasses have been compared and approved with those of XCOM program. Also, their gamma ray buildup factors have been determined in a wide energy range of 0.02–20 MeV for penetration depths up to 15 mfp. Moreover, neutron attenuation abilities of glasses have been evaluated by estimating neutron total effective removal cross section. The results showed that Er2O3 partial replacement of Nb2O5 in 75TeO2-5Li2O-10ZnO-(10- x)Nb2O5-(x)Er2O3 glass system enhances photon and neutron attenuation characteristics. It can be deduced that obtained results from the present investigation can be useful to understanding of influence of Er2O3 on nuclear radiation shielding properties of tellurite glasses. Keywords: Radiation shielding, Er2O3, Tellurite glass, MCNPX code

Mass attenuation coefficient (μt) of some boron containing resources in China were investigated in the paper at 0.001–20 MeV through XCOM and Geant4. What’s more, half value thickness layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Zeff) and electron density (Ne) were calculated. In addition, fast neutron removal cross sections of these resources were calculated by partial density method. It has been found that Boron bearing iron concentrate has the maximum μt, Zeff Ne and ∑R, and its HVL and MFP are lowest. The investigation would be useful for potential application of the boron containing resources in the field of neutron and gamma ray shielding materials. Keywords: Boron containing resources, Gamma ray, Fast neutron, Shielding parameter, XCOM, Geant4

The melt quench method has been used to prepare the xBi2O3-(30-x)MoO3-40B2O3-20SiO2-9Na2O-1Fe2O3 glass system, where x = 15, 17.5, 20, 25 and 30 mol. %. In the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV, the mass attenuation coefficient (μm), half value layer (HVL) and effective atomic number (Zeff) values have been calculated using MCNPX code for prepared glasses. Using the Geometric progression (G–P) fitting method the exposure buildup factor (EBF) and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) have been computed. In addition, the removal cross-section (ΣR) values for fast neutrons have been evaluated. Moreover, the mass attenuation coefficient for different compositions glasses have been calculated using XMuDat program and XCOM and have been compared with MCNPX values. The μm, HVL and ΣR values of the investigated glass samples have been compared with the different types of concretes in other glass materials. Using the pulse-echo technique, the elastic moduli for glass samples have been measured. The glass sample 30Bi2O3-40B2O3-20SiO2-9Na2O-1Fe2O3 shows the highest values of μm and lowest values of HVL, which indicate that this glass composition is the most effective at radiation shielding. Keywords: Shielding properties, Fast neutron, MCNPX, XMuDat, Elastic moduli

This paper aimed to report the results on the investigation of photon attenuation parameters for TeO2-WO3-GeO2 glasses using FLUKA Monte Carlo code. In order to test the validity of the present code, the computational values of mass attenuation coefficients have been in confirmation with those of both previously published experimental data (MoO3-B2O3-Bi2O3) and XCOM database at various energies between 356 and 1330 keV. The relative deviation between FLUKA and experimental data is below 5.19% while the difference between the present code and XCOM database is found to be almost 2%. Therefore, the estimated results are in good agreement to each other and exhibited that FLUKA simulation is an alternative technique in determining the shielding performance of the present glass system. Additionally, mean free path and half-value layer results were calculated and it was concluded that among the selected glasses, TeWGe5 sample has superior shielding effectiveness. Keywords: Gamma photons, Attenuation, FLUKA simulations, Radiation shielding

Elastic moduli were theoretically computed using the Makishima–Mackenzie model for SiO2–Na2O–CaO glasses doped with Sb2O3 contents. The calculated elastic moduli (Young’s, bulk, shear, and longitudinal modulus) were observed to increase with an increase in the Sb2O3 contents. The microhardness showed an increase, while Poisson’s ratio decreased with the rise of the Sb2O3 contents. In addition, gamma-ray and neutron shielding parameters were evaluated for the investigated glasses. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was simulated using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code (MCNP-5). Other parameters, such as the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), transmission factor (TF), and half-value layer, were calculated based on the simulated LAC. The addition of Sb2O3 content was observed to enhance the investigated glasses’ shielding parameters, where the highest LAC was achieved for the SCNSb10 glass with 10 mol% Sb2O3 and decreased from 0.441 to 0.154 cm−1 at gamma energies between 0.248 and 1.406 MeV. Furthermore, the fast neutron effective removal cross-section (∑R) was computed theoretically. The calculated results showed that the highest ∑R was equal to 0.0341 cm2g−1 and was obtained for the SCNSb0 glass, which had no Sb2O3 content, while the lowest ∑R was equal to 0.0286 cm2 g−1 for the SCNSb10 glass sample. The present work was carried out to examine the advantages of the soda–lime glasses with different Sb2O3 contents in several photon shielding applications, especially for radiation safety in nuclear installations.