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This work assessed highly effective bismuth borosilicate glasses' nuclear radiation shielding capabilities in terms of different concentrations of Bi2O3. Melt-quenching was the method used to create the glasses. The Phy-X/PSD program was used to compute the μm values. The bismuth borosilicate glasses' nuclear radiation shielding properties were determined in the 0.015–15 MeV energy range. Increasing Bi₂O₃ concentration resulted in an increase in mass attenuation coefficient, linear attenuation coefficient, and effective atomic number. Conversely, the half value layer and mean free path values decreased. The B48Bi17 sample, with its largest Zeff, is a great gamma attenuator. The results of a new study may help to clarify the nature of the Bi2O3 additive used in borosilicate glasses, which are a potential form of shield for use in industrial and medical radiation facilities.

This research intends to utilize melt-quenching technique in order to examine the radiation shielding capability of 10 % Mo, 10 % Na2O, 20 % PbO, and 60 % B2O3 glass system, with varying CaO, TiO2, CuO, Fe2O3 or Mo. XCOM and MCNP simulations were utilized to analyze the radiation shielding properties of the fabricated glasses. The results revealed CuO having the superior MAC of 49.91 cm2/g, then Fe2O3 with 49.24 cm2/g, followed by CaO with 49.10 cm2/g, and TiO2 with 48.49 cm2/g as the least. CuO and Fe2O3 were confirmed to have least HVL compared to CaO and TiO2. The value of the lead equivalent thickness showed fluctuation against the gamma energy, where it raisess within the photoelectric region and falls after the photoelectric region. The data reveal that, the lead equivalent thickness at 0.1 MeV were 7.88 cm, 7.86 cm, 7.81 cm and 7.80 cm for TiO2, Fe2O3, CaO, and CuO in the same order, respectively. The transmission factor (TF) raises as the gamma energy raises, having TiO2 as the highest with 76.068 %, while the radiation protection efficiency dropped as the energy raises.

The linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) of four soils (Black cotton (S1), Sandy (S2), Clay (S3), and Sandy (S4)) samples were measured at photon energies released from radioisotopes Co57 (122 keV), Ba133 (356 keV), 22Na (511 and 1275 keV), Cs137 (662 keV), Mn54 (840 keV), and Co60 (1330 keV) using a gamma spectrometer includes a NaI (Tl) scintillation detector. The experimental measurements were confirmed utilizing the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code. The linear attenuation coefficient values enhanced from 0.256 cm−1 to 0.296 cm−1 (at Eγ of 122 keV), from 0.126 cm−1 to 0.142 cm−1 (at Eγ of 662 keV), and from 0.0938 cm−1 to 0.105 cm−1 (at Eγ of 1275 keV), raising the (Fe + Mn) concentration from 0.912 wt% to 11.214 wt%, as well as raising the soil samples density from 1.62 g/cm3 to 1.79 g/cm3. The study also shows an enhancement in the half value thickness, transmission factor, radiation protection efficiency and lead's equivalent thickness due to the enrichment of Fe + Mn concentrations within the studied soils. The results show that the Black cotton soil exhibits better shielding properties for γ-ray than the other soils.

By employing the melt-quenching technique, the ZnO–SrO–B2O3–PbO (ZSBP) glasses have been successfully fabricated. The derivative of Absorption Spectra Fitting (DASF) method was used to study the energy band gap (Eg) of the glasses which decreases from 3.57 eV to 3.39 eV. The structural properties have been studied using the Raman spectroscopy. The glass transition temperature (Tg) decreases with increase in concentration of the lead oxide. The current study examines the radiation shielding properties at 30.80–444 keV. The addition of PbO to the glasses resulted in a proportionate increase in the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), suggesting a diminishing tendency in radiation transmission. At 30.80 keV, the MAC values are extremely high and range from 18.06 to 21.11 cm2/g. As density rises, the half value layer (HVL) decreases. In addition, the average HVL (HVL‾) decreases. The glass thickness required to reduce the radiation intensity to 90 %, 50 %, 25 %, and 10 % of its initial value is investigated at an energy of 35.80 keV. The T90 %, T50 %, T25 %, and T10 % values are 0.0020, 0.0132, 0.0264, and 0.0439 cm, respectively. The results suggest that a greater thickness of the radiation barrier is necessary to attain the necessary degree of attenuation.

Investigations were conducted on the addition of barium's impact on the radiation shielding and physical attributes of five different glasses, designated S1–S5, with varying BaO contents. Using two point sources namely Co60 and Cs137 along with a scintillation detector [NaI(TL)], experimental measurements were made of the shielding parameters of γ-rays, namely the effective atomic number (Zeff), electron density (Nel), half-value layer (HVL), linear attenuation coefficient (μ), mass attenuation coefficient (μm), mean free path (λ), and radiation protection effectiveness at the energies of 0.664, 1.177, and 1.334 MeV, and comparisons made with recently considered glasses as well as frequently employed materials for γ-ray shielding. The results show that the examined glasses' physical and radiation shielding qualities are improved by the addition of BaO. The μ values increased from 0.245 to 0.275 cm−1 (0.662 MeV), from 0.174 to 0.198 cm−1 (1.173 MeV), and from 0.161 to 0.189 (1.332 MeV). The observed values of HVL decreased from 2.83, 3.98, and 4.3 cm to 2.5, 3.5, and 3.62 cm at 0.662, 1.173, and 1.332 MeV, respectively, for the samples S1 and S5. In addition, the S5 glass sample was determined to have the best protection against photon among all the samples that were evaluated, as well as against recently considered glasses and those materials often utilized for gamma-ray shielding purposes.

This work synthesized four glass samples with a fixed ratio of PbO to Na2O and a variable ratio of BaO to B2O3. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) (μ, cm−1) and additional attenuator parameters were determined experimentally using a semiconductor detector and different gamma sources. The comparison was carried out between the experimental and the XCOM calculated results, with good agreement emerging between the two results. The impacts of the BaO substituting for the B2O3 on fabricated PNBB glasses' radiation shielding properties were discussed. By increasing the BaO substitution concentration between 10 and 25 mol.%, the LAC μ values (cm−1) increased by 76.60 %, 13.81 %, 12.56 %, and 12.52 % for the respective γ-ray energies of 0.059, 0.662, 1.173, and 1.332 MeV. The μ value reduction with raised gamma energy values increased the values of the calculated half-value thickness (Δ0.5) as a result of the μ and Δ0.5 values' reverse proportionality. Other shielding parameters such as the lead equivalent thickness (Δeq) and radiation protection efficiency were also determined for the present PNBB glass samples.

The current study aims to develop new clay bricks doped with metallic waste for radiation shielding applications. The aforementioned new bricks were fabricated with various metallic waste concentrations under a pressure rate reaching ≈114 MPa and firing temperature of 1100 °C. The impacts of the metallic waste and the firing temperature on the developed brick samples' physical, radiation shielding, and structural properties were studied. In order to identify the fabricated bricks' mineral content, the X-ray diffraction pattern was used. Additionally, the fabricated bricks' porosity and density were experimentally determined, where the porosity was reduced by 28.03%, while their densities increased by ≈ 10.5% by raising the concentration of metallic waste. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) for the developed brick was investigated experimentally using a NaI (Tl) scintillation detector over the 0.033–1.408 MeV energy interval. The measured LAC values were enhanced by increasing the concentrations of metallic waste within the fabricated bricks over the examined energy interval. The fabricated brick's LAC enhancement improves the gamma-ray shielding characteristics. Therefore, the fabricated bricks are a cheap and suitable choice for radiation protection applications.

The current work aims to fabricate metal oxide-doped (PbO, Fe2O3, MgO, and Al2O3, each of which boasts a purity of 99%) zinc barium borate glasses through the melt quenching technique at the 1000 °C melting temperature. The results showed that adding 5 mol.% of metal oxides PbO, Fe2O3, Al2O3, and MgO increases the density of the zinc barium borate glasses. Additionally, the fabricated glasses' mechanical properties were determined based on the Makishima-Mackenzie model, which proved that the highest mechanical properties were achieved for glasses doped with Al2O3 compounds. The mechanical moduli for the glasses doped with Al2O3 reach 80.95 GPa (Young), 59.90 GPa (bulk), 31.75 GPa (shear), and 102.23 GPa (longitudinal). Additionally, the Al2O3-doped glasses' microhardness reaches 4.77 GPa. Moreover, estimation of the fabricated glasses' gamma-ray shielding capacity utilized Monte Carlo simulation. The highest linear attenuation coefficients are 29.132, 19.906, 19.243, and 18.923 cm−1 obtained at 0.033 MeV for glasses dopped by PbO, Fe2O3, MgO, and Al2O3, respectively. Therefore, glasses doped with 5 mol.% of PbO have high gamma-ray shielding capacities followed by glasses doped by Fe2O3.

This research intends to recycle bone and incorporate it into concrete for radiation shielding application using Phy-X/PSD software. Cement, sand and granite were mixed in proportion of 0.5 kg:1 kg:1 kg to obtain sample A. Other concretes composing of cement, sand, granite and bone ash was in proportion 0.45 kg:1 kg:1 kg:0.05 kg, 0.1 kg:1 kg:1 kg:0.4 kg and 0.35 kg:1 kg:1 kg:0.15 kg to obtain samples B, C and D respectively. 0.5 water-to-cement (W/C) ratio was adopted throughout the mixes because the control mix contain the normal water quantity for normal hydration of cement. Replacing the bone ash for the cement in the fabricated concretes enhances their densities where the fabricated concretes' density decreased from 2.33 g/cm3 to 2.22 g/cm3 by raising the reinforcing bones fly ash concentration from 0 to 0.15 kg. Additionally, increasing the bones fly ash concentration within the fabricated concretes increases their linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) where the fabricated concretes’ μ values at 0.662 MeV reach 0.181 cm−1, 0.178 cm−1, 0.174 cm−1, and 0.171 cm−1,respectively for concretes A, B, C, and D. The use of other local materials is recommended, as it improves waste management being the major aim of the sustainable development goal.

The amorphous glasses containing PbO, ZnO, MgO, and B2O3 have been fabricated using the melt quenching technique. The structural properties have been analysed using the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Derivative of Absorption Spectra Fitting (DASF) method have been used to estimate the band gap energy from the UV–Vis absorption data which decreases from 3.02 eV to 2.66 eV with increasing the concentration of the PbO.The four glass samples 0.284 and 0.826 MeV showed unique variations in terms of gamma attenuation ability. LZMB4 glass sample proved to be the mist effective in terms of shielding of gamma radiation as it requires little distance compared to LZMB3, LZMB2 and LZMB1 to attenuate. RPE revealed a raise with increase in the thickness of the material and reduces as the energy raises. TF is superior in LZMB1 compared to LZMB2, LZMB3 and LZMB4, confirming that, LZMB4 will attenuate better. The ZEff of the materials was seen falling as the energy increases, confirming that the linear attenuation coefficient of the glass materials decreases when the energy is increased. The results confirmed that, glass material LZMB4 is the best option especially for gamma radiation shielding applications compared to LZMB3, followed by LZMB2, then LZMB1.

This investigation developed a novel polyester composite based on the addition of zinc oxide (ZnO) of different sizes. We prepared nine samples Containing different percentages and sizes of ZnO as well as the control sample (Pol-ZnO0). The attenuation factors of Pol-micro ZnO were estimated using Phy-x software, while the HPGe detector and various gamma sources were used to experimentally measure the all-prepared composites. In terms of the two methods for micro composites, good agreement was observed. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of Pol-ZnO20, Pol-ZnO40, and Pol-ZnO60, two more samples one with ZnO nanoparticles instead of microparticles, and the other with half microparticles and half nanoparticles (referenced as 0.5 M + 0.5 N) were determined. For all the Polyester composites and energies, the mixture of microparticles and nanoparticles had greater LAC values than each of the particles on their own. For example, the LAC values for the Pol-ZnO20 polymer at 1.330 MeV are 0.0836, 0.0888, and 0.0903 cm−1 for the microparticles, nanoparticles, and mixture, respectively. The values of the prepared polymer samples' radiation protection efficiency (RPE) against energy with a thickness of 2 cm was determined experimentally. The Pol-ZnO60 0.5 M + 0.5 N sample has the highest RPE out of all the samples, followed by its nanoparticle counterpart, and then its microparticle counterpart. On the other hand, the Pol-ZnO0 sample, the polymer with no ZnO content, at all energies has the lowest RPE, followed by the three Pol-ZnO20 samples.

The density, boron–boron separation, and molar volume of 4Al2O3–12Na2O-(18-x)SiO2-(64-x) B2O3-(2+2x)Bi2O3 (where x = 2, 4, 6 and 8 mol%) are increasing with the addition of Bi2O3. The addition of Bi2O3 results in an open network structure. The elastic moduli decrease from 34.711 to 29.875 GPa for Young modulus (E); 20.395 to 15.843 GPa for bulk modulus (B); from 15.257 to 13.494 GPa for shear modulus (G) and 40.738 to 33.836 GPa for longitudinal (L) respectively with increased Bi2O3 concentration. FTIR spectrainvestigation found BO3, BO4, SiO4, and BiO6 structural units to be present. The glasses' highest mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) is at 0.0395 MeV, the lowest energy value. It gradually decreases as energy increases. There is a decrease in the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) values with energy. Sample Bi18 has the highest MAC and LAC values due to its high concentration of Bi2O3. Across the entire energy range, sample Bi18 has the highest effective atomic number, and the lowest half value layer and mean free path values across all energy values. The transmission factor (TF) values for Bi6 indicate that the required thickness for blocking 90% of the radiation must be greater than the thickness necessaryfor the attenuation of 50%. Bi18 has the lowest TF compared to other glass samples. The radiation protection efficiency values for Bi18 are highest, confirming their full protection ability. Bi18's is the best choice for radiation shielding.

A new group of boro-tellurite glasses (BCa20, BCa17, BCa14, BCa11) was fabricated using the melt quench method for potential radiation shielding and optical applications. The mechanical, optical, and radiation shielding properties were studied with varying oxide compositions. A decrease in B2O3 and CaO content, with increasing TeO2, led to a reduction in elastic modulus and bulk modulus (from 69.638 to 61.331 GPa), as well as a decrease in packing density (0.673 to 0.636). The optical band gap also gradually reduced (from 3.637 to 3.504 eV), while Urbach energy increased (from 0.293 to 0.354 eV). Optical basicity increased, and optical electronegativity decreased, indicating a shift toward ionic bonding and reduced glass stability. Radiation shielding performance improved with the addition of TeO2, as confirmed by the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) results using Phy-X software. These findings suggest potential for these glasses in radiation shielding and optical material applications.

The present investigation aims to study the role of Pr2O3 on the structural, physical, and radiation shielding properties of a dense cadmium lead borate glass. The XRD was used to affirm the glassy amorphous structure of fabricated sample materials. Moreover, the FTIR was used to record the change in the FT-IR spectra due to the addition of Pr2O3 in the wavenumber interval between 400 and 4000 cm−1. The features of glass surfaces and the elemental analyses for the synthesized Pr2O3-reinforced cadmium lead borate glasses were performed using a SEM, supported by an energy-dispersive spectrometer. The γ-ray protection capacity was evaluated using the Monte Carlo method in a wide energy interval ranging between 0.015 and 15 MeV. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) at 1 MeV was reduced by a factor of 10 % from 0.372 cm−1 to 0.340 cm−1. The decrease in the LAC values negatively affected the other shielding properties such as half-value thickness and the transmission factor. Although the linear attenuation coefficient is decreased slightly with the partial substitution of CdO by Pr2O3 compound, the fabricated glass samples still have a high shielding capacity compared to the traditional commercial glasses as well as previous similar reported glasses.

The current study investigated Saudi Arabian oil fly ash impacts on Egyptian clay bricks' structural and radiation shielding properties. To produce the required bricks, crushed clay minerals from the Hafafit area were mixed with 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 % wt.% Saudi Arabian oil fly ash and pressed at a pressure rate of 68.55 MPa. Identification of the minerals in the chosen clay was achieved via X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the material's morphology and chemical composition were determined through scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray. The fabricated bricks' density was reduced by 36.3 % through increasing the concentration of fly ash from 0 to 40 wt%. Then, the fly ash addition's influence on the fabricated clay bricks' γ-ray shielding properties was investigated by Monte Carlo simulation, which found a reduction in the fabricated bricks' linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) by 41.2, 36.0, 33.8, and 33.8 % at the 0.059, 0.103, 0.662, and 1.252 MeV γ-ray energies, respectively. The LAC reduction caused an increase in the fabricated bricks' half-value thickness, transmission factor, and the equivalent thickness of the lead. Moreover, the thicker fabricated sample thicknesses were found to have high γ-ray shielding capacity and can thus be used in radiation shielding applications.

The development of the functional magnetic composites with determined properties is important task for modern material sciences. Control of magnetic and electrodynamic properties realized by the ceramic/polymer composites preparation. Conduction of the investigations of the correlation between chemical composition of the fillers (magnetic powders) and their concentration in the polymer matrix is the best way for solving this task. Two- and tree-component spinel-polymer composites were produced by thermal pressing. As spinels, CoFe2O4 (CF) and Ni0.4Cu0.2Zn0.4Fe2O4 (NCZFO) were used. As a polymer, FEP was used. The concentration of the spinels in the polymer matrix was fixed at 20 mass.%. Investigation of the structural features and magnetic properties were carried out. The impact of the chemical composition and phase ratio of the composites on crystal structure, microstructure, and magnetic properties were established. Magnetic measurements were performed at 300 and 10 K in the fields up to 70 kOe. It was demonstrated that the synergetic effect of ceramic composites violates of the principle of additivity in two-phase ceramic composites. The impact of the polymer matrix on magnetic properties was demonstrated. It opens new perspectives for practical applications of such kind of materials.

An isostatic hot-pressing technique for the fabrication of dense W samples' is presented. The samples’ microstructure and chemical content were analyzed. The most compact samples were received at 5 GPa pressure and 1500 and 2000 °C temperatures, with densities of 18.50 and 19.07 g/cm3, respectively. It has been established that high temperature exposure has a positive effect on both the microstructure and density. It is shown that as the sintering temperature increases, the porosity of the samples decreases from 32.31% to 0.94%, and their relative density increases from 67.69% to 99.06%. The crystal structure investigation revealed that all the samples contain the main body-centered cubic W phase, and the availability of the WO2 phase is observed just after the temperature of sintering increases above 1000 °C, which is confirmed by the appearance of 111 and 22-2 reflections. A study of the shielding effectiveness against gamma-radiation was carried out using the Phy-X/PSD software. A gamma-ray source of Co60 with energies of 0.8–2.5 MeV was applied for the calculations. The results were calculated for the sample with the highest density (19.07 g/cm3) and compared with the calculations for Pb. The W shielding effectiveness main parameters are determined: linear attenuation coefficient (at 0.8 MeV–1.46 cm-1), mean free path (at 2.5 MeV–1.2 cm) and half value layer (at 2.5 MeV–0.86 cm). These values turned out to be higher than for Pb, which makes shields based on W promising for use in the field of radiation protection.

The effect of PbO addition with different concentrations on four synthesized zinc titanium borate glasses with the chemical formula xPbO-(75-x) B2O3-10ZnO-10BaO-5TiO2 (x = 30, 35, 40, and 45 mol%) was explored in this study. The partial PbO substitution for B2O3 increases the fabricated glasses' density by ≈ 20% from 5.31 to 6.37 g/cm3, respectively, with raising the PbO concentrations between 30 and 45 mol.%, respectively. Besides, the substitution mentioned above enhances the gamma-ray attenuation properties where the linear attenuation coefficient increased between 69.911 and 102.245 cm−1 (at 0.033 MeV), 0.341–0.415 cm−1 (at 1 MeV), and 0.200–0.262 cm−1 (at 10 MeV), increasing the PbO concentration between 30 and 45 mol.%, respectively. Simultaneously, increases in the PbO concentration within the fabricated glasses decrease the lead's equivalent thickness between 3.82 and 2.61 cm (at 0.033 MeV), 2.35–1.93 cm (at 1 MeV), and 2.81–2.14 cm (at 10 MeV). In contrast, substituting PbO for B2O3 compounds diminishes the fabricated glasses' mechanical properties, where the microhardness decreased by 13.5 % from 4.24 to 3.67 GPa. The lead equivalent thickness (Deq) values at 0.66 MeV were found equal to 2.410, 2.232, 2.078, and 1.945 cm, and at 1.112 MeV, these values were found equal to 2.222, 2.081, 1.956, and 1.829 cm for G1, G2, G3, and G4, respectively.

Composite materials based on a polymer matrix of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and W were produced by thermal pressing. The content of W in the samples varied from 0 to 70 %. The recycling properties of LLDPE are demonstrated in this study, which significantly helped to reduce the defects. The microstructure of the composites consists of well-defined W grains covered by elastic LLDPE fibers. A homogeneous distribution of tungsten in the polymer matrix was observed for sample W70. The EDX analysis showed the presence of tungsten and carbon (from the polymer component). The XRD analysis confirms the increase in W content in the samples. The FTIR spectra of the composites showed an increase in the content of terminal methyl groups, a decrease in the molecular weight, and a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of the polyethylene matrix with an increase in the W content in the composite. The sample with 70 % W content has the highest effective density (2.61 g/cm3). The sample relative density ranges from 93.3 to 97.7 %. The porosity of LLDPE-W composites does not exceed 7 %. Gamma radiation shielding efficiency parameters such as LAC, HVL, and MFP were calculated using Phy-X/PSD. The radiation source was Co60, with an emission range of 0.8–2.5 MeV. As the gamma energy increases, it is observed that the values of all the parameters deteriorate. However, the sample with a maximum W content of 70 % has the best values of LAC, HVL, and MFP among the other samples.

The large inner surface of porous silicon (pSi) not only provides unique opportunities for introducing various foreign materials into the open pores, but is also responsible for a lot of processes during the pSi cathode polarization. PSi surface and contact effects are considered in the article. The space charge layer induced by both the surface states and the double electrical layer in the solution is shown to have a decisive influence on the electrical conductivity of the silicon skeleton in the pSi layer. Depending on the depletion degree of the pSi skeleton, the electrochemical deposition of metals is possible either on the entire pSi surface or pore filling from the bottom. The erbium hydroxide formation in the process of the cathode polarization of pSi in the solution of erbium salt is shown to have a chemical nature and is stimulated by the alkalization of the cathode space. The formation of erbium-containing deposits occurs by the following mechanism. First, hydrogen is electrochemically reduced at the cathode. This causes the ion imbalance and leads to the alkalinization in the space near the cathode. The alkaline medium creates conditions for the chemical process of the erbium hydroxide formation. Formed as a gel, erbium hydroxide is physically adsorbed on the cathode surface as a film. The components of the solution are necessarily included in the deposit composition. The accompanying oxidation and dehydrogenation effects during the cathode pSi polarization are considered. Moreover, during the pSi oxidation, the solid phase extends in the pore increases the steric factor, which is essential for the formation of internal oxygen bonds. These effects are characteristic features of any pSi cathode treatment. These formation rules are true for any lanthanide. The obtained results open wide prospects for practical application of Er-filled pSi as a promising material for practical biomedical application as prospective electrodes.

In this study, we propose an alternative approach using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for determining Mass Attenuation Coefficients (MAC) in various glass systems. This method takes into account the weights of glass compositions, density, and photon energy as input features. The ANN model was trained and tested on a dataset consisting of 650 data points and subsequently validated through a K-fold cross-validation procedure. Our findings demonstrate a high level of accuracy, with R2 values ranging from 0.90 to 0.99. Additionally, the model exhibits robust extrapolation capabilities with an R2 score of 0.87 for predicting MAC values in a new glass system. Furthermore, this approach significantly reduces the need for costly and time-consuming computations and experiments, making it a potential tool for selecting materials for effective radiation protection.

The glass series modified by tungsten oxide was created using the compounds (75-x) B2O3– 10SrCO3– 8TeO2– 7ZnO - xWO3, where x = 0, 1, 5, 10, 22, 27, 34, and 40% mole percentage. A UV–visible spectrophotometer and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) methods were employed to characterize the specimen's optical and phase transition attributes, respectively. The mass-attenuation coefficient (AC) of all created glasses from BSTZW0 to BSTZ7 was estimated using Geant4 code from 0.05 to 3 MeV and compared to the XCOM software results, with a relative difference of less than 2% between the two results. The increase of WO3 percentage lead to an increase in the Linear-AC at each studied energy, and this is mainly due to the fact that the higher the percentage of WO3 in the glass increases its density which causes an increase in the Linear-AC, so an energy of 0.06 MeV, as an example, the values of the Linear-AC was 4.009, 4.509, 5.442, 6812, 8.564, 9.856, 10.999 and 11.628 cm−1 form BSTZW0 too BSTZW7, respectively. The Half-VL (value layer), Mean-FP (free path), Tenth-VL, and Radiation attenuation performance (RAP) were also calculated for the current BSTZW-glass samples and revealed that BSTZW7 had the best gamma ray attenuation performance at all discussed energies when compared to other studied glass samples.

The structural and electronic properties of ReS2 different forms — three-dimensional bulk and two-dimensional monolayer — were studied within density functional theory and pseudopotentials. A method for standardizing the description of bulk unit cells and ''artificial'' slab unit cells for DFT research has been proposed. The preference of this method for studying zone dispersion has been shown. The influence of the vacuum layer thickness on specified special high-symmetry points is discussed. Electron band dispersion in both classical 3D Brillouin zones and transition to 2D Brillouin zones in the proposed two-dimensional approach using the Niggli form of the unit cell was compared. The proposed two-dimensional approach is preferable for low-symmetry layered crystals such as ReS2. It was established that the bulk ReS2 is a direct gap semiconductor (band gap of 1.20 eV), with the direct transition lying in the X point of the first Brillouin zone, and it is in good agreement with published experimental data. The reduction in material dimension from bulk to monolayer was conducted with an increasing band gap up to 1.45 eV, with a moving direct transition towards the Brillouin zone center. The monolayer of ReS2 is a direct-gap semiconductor in a wide range of temperatures, excluding only a narrow range at low temperatures, where it comes as a quasi-direct gap semiconductor. The transition, situated directly in the Γ-point, lies 3.3 meV below the first direct transition located near this point. The electronic density of states of ReS2 in the bulk and monolayer cases of ReS2 were analyzed. The molecular orbitals were built for both types of ReS2 structures as well as the electron difference density maps. For all types of ReS2 structures, an analysis of populations according to Mulliken and Voronoi was carried out. All calculated data is discussed in the context of weak quantum confinement in the 2D case.

The practice of identifying the potential zones for mineral exploration in a speedy and low-cost method includes the use of satellite imagery analysis as a part of remote sensing techniques. It is challenging to explore the iron mineralization of a region through conventional methods which are a time-consuming process. The current study utilizes the Hyperion satellite imagery for mapping the iron mineralization and associated geological features in the Irikkur region, Kannur, Kerala. Along with the remote sensing results, the field study and laboratory-based analysis were conducted to retrieve the ground truth point and geochemical proportion to verify the iron ore mineralization. The MC simulation showed for shielding properties indicate an increase in the linear attenuation coefficient with raising the Fe2O3+SiO2 concentrations in the investigated rocks where it is varied at 0.662 MeV in the range 0.190 cm−1- 0.222 cm−1 with rising the Fe2O3+SiO2 content from 57.86 wt% to 71.15 wt%. The analysis also revealed that when the γ-ray energy increased from 0.221 MeV to 2.506 MeV, sample 1 had the largest linear attenuation coefficient, ranging from 9.33 cm−1 to 0.12 cm−1. Charnockite rocks were found to have exceptional shielding qualities, making them an excellent natural choice for radiation shielding applications.

Hyperspectral data and its ability to explore the minerals and their associated rocks have a remarkable application in mineral exploration and lithological characterization. The present study aims to explore the radiation shielding aspects of the iron ore in Kerala with the aid of the Hyperion hyperspectral dataset. The reflectance-spectra obtained from the laboratory conditions as well as from the image show various absorptions. The results from the spectra are validated with geochemical data and GPS points. The Monte Carlo simulation employed to evaluate the radiation shielding ability. Raising the oxygen ions caused a noteworthy decrease in the μ values of the studied rocks which is accompanied by an increase in Δ0.5 and Δeq values. The Δ0.5 and Δeq values increased by factors of approximately 77 % with raising the oxygen ions between 44.32 and 47.57 wt.%. The μ values varies with the oxygen concentrations, where the μ values decreased from 2.531 to 0.925 cm−1 (at 0.059 MeV), from 0.381to 0.215 cm−1 (at 0.662 MeV), and from 0.279 to 0.158 cm−1 (at 1.25 MeV) with raising the oxygen ions from 44.32 to 47.43 wt.%.

In the present study, six silicone rubber doped by tellurium borate oxides were fabricated using the casting method. The densities of the fabricated silicon rubber-doped by tellurium borate oxides samples were measured using the Archimedes Method. Moreover, the linear attenuation coefficient of silicone rubber doped tellurium borate oxides samples was evaluated experimentally using the hyper pure germanium, and the recorded linear attenuation coefficient values were affirmed using the theoretical Phy-X program. The experimental measurements were performed using the narrow beam transmission method with radioactive isotopes Am-241, Cs-137, and Co-60 with energies of 59, 661, 1173, and 1332 keV. The linear attenuation coefficient values showed an enhancement by 4.73 times, 1.20 time, 1.17, time, and 1.17 time, respectively at gamma photon energies of 59, 661, 1173, and 1332 keV, when the TeO2 concentration increased in the fabricated composites from 0 to 50 wt%. The enhancement of the linear attenuation coefficient values has a positive effect on the transmission rate values where the half-value thickness and transmission rate were decreased accompanied by an increase in the RPE.

The radiation shielding properties of telluro-borate glasses have a great importance in nuclear industry. This work focused on the study of the glasses of the (70-x)B2O3–5TeO2–20SrO–5ZnO-xBi2O3 (with 0 ≤ x ≤ 15% mol%) system, which have been synthesized by the melt-quenching route. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis showed no agglomeration on glassy surfaces, which confirmed the amorphous state. The thermal differential analysis (DTA) showed that the glass transition temperature (Tg) decreased from 589.90 °C to 529.51 °C with replacing B2O3 mol% by Bi2O3 mol%. The mechanical properties of these glasses have been evaluated by investigation of the parameters, such as the bulk modulus (K), the Young's modulus (E), the shear modulus (S), the longitudinal modulus (L), and the Poisson coefficient, which are changed by Bi2O3 doping. The radiation shielding properties of these prepared glasses have been evaluated, and we reported the effective atomic number (Zeff) at 0.511 MeV. The results showed that the glass with x = 15% has the highest Zeff. We found that the Zeff is almost doubled when the concentration of Bi2O3 is increased from 0 mol% to 15 mol%. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the thermal, mechanical, and shielding properties of glass and have potential applications in areas such as construction and radiation protection.

The present work aims to fabricate Na1+xZr2SixP3-xO12 compound at various calcination temperatures based on the zircon mineral. The fabricated compound was calcinated at 250, 500, and 1000°C. The effect of calcination temperature on the structure, crystal phase, and radiation shielding properties was studied for the fabricated compound. The X-ray diffraction diffractometer demonstrates that, the monoclinic crystal phase appeared at a calcination temperature of 250°C and 500°C is totally transformed to a high-symmetry hexagonal crystal phase under a calcination temperature of 1000°C. The radiation shielding capacity was also qualified for the fabricated compounds using the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code in the γ-photons energy interval between 15keV and 122keV. The impacts of calcination temperature on the γ-ray shielding behavior were clarified in the present study, where the linear attenuation coefficient was enhanced by 218% at energy of 122keV, when the calcination temperature increased from 250 to 1000°C, respectively.

This work presents the synthesis and preparation of a new glass system described by the equation of (70-x) B2O3–5TeO2 –20SrCO3–5ZnO –xBi2O3, x = 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 mol. %, using the melt quenching technique at a melting temperature of 1100 °C. The photon-shielding characteristics mainly the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of the prepared glass samples were evaluated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation N-particle transport code (MCNP-5) at gamma-ray energy extended from 59 keV to 1408 keV emitted by the radioisotopes Am-241, Ba-133, Cs-137, Co-60, Na-22, and Eu-152. Furthermore, we observed that the Bi2O3 content of the glasses had a significantly stronger impact on the LAC at 59 and 356 keV. The study of the lead equivalent thickness shows that the performance of fabricated glass sample with 15 mol.% of Bi2O3 is four times less than the performance of pure lead at low gamma photon energy while it is enhanced and became two times lower the perforce of pure lead at high energy. Therefore, the fabricated glasses special sample with 15 mol.% of Bi2O3 has good shielding properties in low, intermediate, and high energy intervals.

In this study, halloysite nanoparticles-doped epoxy resin was synthesised using the casting method. The MH-300A density metre revealed that the density of the fabricated composites changed from 1.132 to 1.317 g/cm3 as the halloysite nanoparticle concentration increased. The Fourier transform infrared was recorded for the synthesised composites. Furthermore, the γ-ray shielding properties of the synthesised composites were evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation and a theoretical programme, XCOM. The linear attenuation coefficient of the epoxy resin increased by 43% (at γ-energy of 15 keV) and 14% (at γ-photon energy of 662 keV) when the concentration of the halloysite nanoparticles was increased from 0 wt% to 40 wt%, respectively.

We investigated the radiation shielding competence for TeO2–V2O5–MoO3 glasses. The Phy-X software was used to report the radiation shielding parameters for the present glasses. With an increase in TeO2 and MoO3 content, the samples' linear attenuation coefficient improves. However, at low energies, this change is more apparent. At low energy, the present samples have an effective atomic number (Zeff) that is relatively high (in order of 16.17–24.48 at 0.347 MeV). In addition, the findings demonstrated that the density of the samples is a very critical factor in determining the half value layer (HVL). The minimal HVL for each sample can be found at 0.347 MeV and corresponds to 1.776, 1.519, 1.391, 1.210 and 1.167 cm for Te1 to Te5 respectively. However, the highest HVL of these glasses is recorded at 1.33 MeV, which corresponds to 3.773, 3.365, 3.218, 2.925 and 2.908 cm respectively. The tenth value layer results indicate that the thickness of the specimens needs to be increased in order to shield the photons that have a greater energy. Also, the TVL results demonstrated that the sample with the greatest TeO2 and MoO3 concentration has a higher capacity to attenuate photons.

The demand for new glass hosts with emergent properties is constantly growing for various miniaturized applications. Thus, some new types of Sm2O3-activated strontium-telluro-alumino-magnesium-borate glasses with copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONps) insertion were made using melt-quenching approach. The obtained glasses were characterized to determine the effects of Sm2O3 concentration changes on their thermal, structural, and luminescence properties. XRD, FTIR, and HRTEM analyses of the samples verified their glassy nature, presence of different functional units and CuONps, respectively. DTA analysis showed excellent thermal stability of these glasses with a stability factor as much as 125 °C. The optical absorption properties of the glasses were highly sensitive to Sm3+ concentrations variation. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters of the glasses with and without CuONps followed the trend of Ω6˃Ω4˃Ω2 and Ω4˃Ω6˃Ω2, respectively. These glasses displayed 4 visible luminescence bands at 561, 598, 645, and 705 nm corresponding to 4G5/2 → 6H5/2, 4G5/2 → 6H7/2, 4G5/2 → 6H9/2, and 4G5/2 → 6H11/2 transitions in Sm3+. In addition, branching ratio above 80% and stimulated emission cross-section up to 135.82 × 10−23 cm2 were achieved. The stimulated emission cross-section and optical gain were enhanced due to the inclusion of CuONps in the glasses. These glasses may be useful for solid state laser and optical amplifier development.

Research into protection techniques from harmful effects of gamma radiation have increased contemporarily. The development of radiation-resistant materials having a high radiation resistance and absorption of different types of ionizing radiation could offer promising solutions to this matter. For this purpose, the preparation and examination of a novel type of polymer doped with various WO3 concentrations are presented in this study. To accomplish our main objective, we evaluated the effectiveness of their radiation shielding against gamma radiation from 137Cs, 60Co, and 241Am. At all investigated energies, the measured and theoretical linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) values are highly similar, proving that the experimental LAC values can be used to reliably predict other radiation shielding characteristics. The half value layer (HVL) values decreased as the samples' WO3 level rises indicating that increasing the amount of WO3 in these samples increases their radiation shielding effectiveness. In addition, it was found a positive correlation between radiation energy and the mean free path (MFP) values. At 0.060 MeV, the MFP values are equal to 1.374 cm, 0.691 cm, 0.521 cm, and 0.369 cm at concentrations of 0, 10, 20, and 25% WO3, respectively reflecting that the MFP is reduced by 3.7 times due to the addition of 20% WO3 nanoparticles. From the transmission factor, it was found that improving the shielding ability of the proposed materials could be achieved by increasing and adjusting the thickness of the absorber depending on the required energy range used. It is noteworthy that the present studied samples (epoxy + waste marble + nano-WO3) that have exhibited a greater shielding ability than other nanoparticles added polymers like (Epoxy + nano-MgO30), and (silicone rubber + nano-WO330).

The novelty in the present search, the Soda-Lime-Silica (SLS) glass waste to prepare free lead glass shielding was used in order to limit the accumulation of glass waste, which requires extensive time to decompose. This also saves on the consumption of pure SiO2, which is a finite resource. Furthermore, the combining of BaO with Bi2O3 into a glass network leads to increased optical properties and improved attenuation. The UV–Visible Spectrophotometer was used to investigate the optical properties and the radiation shielding properties were reported for current glass samples utilizing the PhysX/PDS online software. The optical property results indicate that when BaO content increases in glass structure, the Urbach energy ΔE, and refractive index n increases while the energy optical band gap Eopt decreases. The result of the metallisation criteria (M) revealed that the present glass samples are nonmetallic (insulators). Furthermore, the radiation shielding parameter findings suggest that when BaO was increased in the glass structure, the linear attenuation coefficient and effective atomic number (Zeff) rose. But the half-value layer HVL declined as the BaO concentration grew. According to the research, the glass samples are non-toxic, transparent to visible light, and efficient radiation shielding materials. The Ba5 sample is considered the best among all the samples due to its higher attenuation value and lower HVL and MFP values, which make it a suitable candidate as transparent glass shield shielding.

The effect of modifiers on the optical features and radiation defying ability of the Eu3+ ions doped multi constituent glasses was examined. XRD has established the amorphous nature of the specimen. The presence of various functional/fundamental groups in the present glasses was analyzed through FTIR spectra. The physical, structural and elastic traits of the glasses were explored. The variation in the structural compactness of the glass structure according to the incorporated modifier was enlightened to describe their suitability for a better shielding media. For the examined glasses, the metallization criterion value varied in the range 0.613–0.692, indicating the non-metallic character of the glasses with possible nonlinear optical applications. The computed elastic moduli expose the Li-containing glass (BTLi:Eu) to be tightly packed and rigid, which is a requirement for a better shielding channel. Furthermore, the optical bandgap and the Urbach energy values are calculated based on the optical absorption spectra. The evaluated bonding parameters revealed the nature of the fabricated glasses covalent. In addition, we investigated the radiation attenuation attributes of the prepared Eu3+ ions doped multi constituent glasses using Phy-X software. We determined the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) and reported the influence of the five oxides Li2O3, CaO, BaO, SrO, and ZnO on the LAC values. The LAC varied between 0.433 and 0.549 cm−1 at 0.284 MeV. The 39B2O3−25TeO2−15Li2O3−10Na2O−10K2O −1Eu2O3 glass has a much smaller LAC than the other glasses.

Zirconium-lithium-phosphate glasses were elaborated through the melting-quenching technique. The primary objective of this research is to investigate how the replacement of lithium oxide with zirconium oxide impacts the physical, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the fabricated glasses. The result showed that the vitreous materials were obtained with a ZrO2 content lower than 1 mol%. Furthermore, it is found that incorporating ZrO2 in the glassy phosphate framework affects mal compatibility and increases the durability of the glassy samples. Analyzing the mechanical performance reveals that the incorporation of ZrO2 leads to enhancements in the elastic constants of the glasses, including the longitudinal modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and Poisson coefficient. The bond strengths are used to calculate and explain the glasses' Vickers hardness values. On the other hand, the infrared (IR) spectroscopy results reveal that replacing Li2O with ZrO2 oxide in the glassy matrix causes significant structural changes. Finally, the dielectric features of the prepared glasses versus frequency and temperature are analyzed. The significance lies in the fact that the replacement of lithium with zirconium leads to a reduction in the ionic conductivity of the glasses.

In the present work, untreated Iraqi sand with grain sizes varied between 100 and 200 μm was used to produce a colored glass sample that has shielding features against the low gamma-ray energy. Therefore, a weight of 70–60 wt % sand was mixed with 9–14 wt% B2O3, 8–10 wt% Na2O, 4–6 wt% of CaO, 3–6 wt% Al2O3, in addition to 0.3% of Co2O3. After melting and annealing the glass sample, the X-ray diffraction spectrometry was applied to affirm the amorphous phase of the fabricated glass samples. Moreover, the X-ray dispersive energy spectrometry was used to measure the chemical composition, and the MH-300A densimeter was applied to measure the fabricated sample's density. The Makishima-Makinzie model was applied to predict the mechanical properties of the fabricated glass. Besides, the Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the fabricated glass sample's radiation shielding capacity in the low-energy region between 22.1 and 160.6 keV. Therefore, the simulated linear attenuation coefficient changed between 10.725 and 0.484 cm−1, raising the gamma-ray energy between 22.1 and 160.6 keV. Also, other shielding parameters such as a half-value layer, pure lead equivalent thickness, and buildup factors were calculated.

The effect of substitution Pb2O3 by CuO content was studied for 75% Li2B4O7 + (25 − x)Pb2O3 + xCuO glass system where x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt%. The mechanical and radiation shielding properties were evaluated for the investigated glass samples. The mechanical properties included Young's, shear, bulk, longitudinal, Poisson ratio, and micro-hardness were computed theoretically based on the packing factor (Vi) and dissociation energy (Gi) of the metal oxides constituting the existing glass samples using the Makishima–Mackenzie model. The obtained results depicted the insertion of CuO enhances the different mechanical parameters up to 20 mol% of the investigated LBPCu glasses. Furthermore, the radiation shielding properties were studied for the investigated LBPCu glass using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code (MCNP-5) simulation. MCNP-5 was used to detect the simulated linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) and then mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) and other factors based on various gamma-ray sources with energies of 0.24, 0.66, 1.17, 1.33, and 1.40 MeV. The results showed that LAC's highest value decreased from 0.578 to 0.320 cm−1 for glasses LBPCu0 and LBPCu25, respectively, at low energy of 0.284 MeV. Moreover, the effective and equivalent atomic numbers (Zeff and Zeq), buildup factor (EBF), and absorption buildup factor (EABF) were evaluated for the investigated LBPCu glass using the BXCOM program. The results revealed that the shielding properties of the investigated glasses improved by the insertion of CuO content. Resumen: Se estudió el efecto de la sustitución de Pb2O3 por el contenido de CuO para el 75% de Li2B4O7 + (25 − x)Pb2O3 + xCuO sistema de vidrio donde x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 y 25% en peso. Se evaluaron las propiedades mecánicas y de protección contra la radiación para las muestras de vidrio investigadas. Las propiedades mecánicas incluidas Young, cizallamiento, volumen, longitudinal, relación de Poisson y microdureza se calcularon teóricamente en función del factor de empaquetamiento (Vi) y la energía de disociación (Gi) de los óxidos metálicos que constituyen las muestras de vidrio existentes utilizando el método Makishima-Mackenzie. modelo. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la inserción de CuO mejora los diferentes parámetros mecánicos hasta en un 20% mol de los vidrios LBPCu investigados. Además, se estudiaron las propiedades de protección contra la radiación para el vidrio LBPCu investigado utilizando la simulación del código de transporte de partículas N de Monte Carlo (MCNP-5). Se utilizó MCNP-5 para detectar el coeficiente de atenuación lineal simulado (LAC) y luego el coeficiente de atenuación de masa (MAC) y otros factores basados en varias fuentes de rayos gamma con energías de 0,24, 0,66, 1,17, 1,33 y 1,40 MeV. Los resultados mostraron que el valor más alto de LAC disminuyó de 0,578 a 0,320 cm−1 para los vasos LBPCu0 y LBPCu25, respectivamente, a baja energía de 0,284 MeV. Además, se evaluaron los números atómicos efectivos y equivalentes (Zeff y Zeq), el factor de acumulación (EBF) y el factor de acumulación de absorción (EABF) para el vidrio LBPCu investigado utilizando el programa BXCOM. Los resultados revelaron que las propiedades de protección de los vidrios investigados mejoraron mediante la inserción de contenido de CuO.

In the current study, the PbO compound was used in order to optimize the gamma-ray shielding properties of the polypropylene polymers. A series of polypropylene doped PbO were performed using various PbO concentrations varied between 0 and 50 wt%. The experimental measurement for the density of the fabricated sample showed that the samples’ density varied between 0.902 ± 0.004 and 1.645 ± 0.007 g/cm3, raising the PbO doping concentration between 0 wt% and 50 wt%. Furthermore, the scanning electron microscope was utilized to illustrate the distribution and morphology of the fabricated polypropylene doped PbO concentrations. The gamma-ray shielding capacity of the fabricated polypropylene doped PbO was examined and evaluated experimentally using a sodium iodide scintillation detector and different point sources in the gamma-ray energy interval between 0.059 and 1.408 MeV. The experimental results were affirmed via the Geant4 code, which depended on the Monte Carlo simulation. The difference recorded between the experimental and Geant4 calculations for the fabricated samples shielding properties was lies in between ±4%. The recorded linear attenuation coefficient at gamma-ray energy of 0.244 MeV varied between 0.1148 and 0.5837 cm−1, raising the PbO doping concentration between 0 wt% and 50 wt%. Moreover, the half-value thickness decreased with increasing the PbO doping ratio.

The optical properties and radioactive attenuation parameters of doped tungsten oxide soda-lime-silica (SLS) waste glass were investigated in the current work. A novel series of lead-free transparent glass samples were manufactured with the possibility of developing radiation-absorbing glass shielding materials. The glass composition is WO3–Bi2O3–ZnO–B2O3-SLS. A new approach was employed in the utilization of soda-lime-silica (SLS) glass as an alternative for pure silicon dioxide having 74.1% of SiO2 and other elements in it. The optical properties were investigated with the help of a UV–Visible Spectrophotometer. The results for the optical properties showed that when WO3 content is increased in the glass structure, the Urbach energy ΔE and refractive index n, increase from 0.337 to 0.431 and 2.84 to 2.94 respectively, the optical basicity Λ also increase with the increase in WO3 while the energy optical band gap Eopt registered a decrease. The metallization criterion (M) confirmed that the current glass samples are nonmetallic (insulator) because Rm/Vm

The preparation of suitable materials with satisfactory nuclear and mechanical properties to shield the ionizing radiation is a major concern in design the radiation protection. In this work, a group of heavy concrete samples were prepared containing varying concentrations of Tungsten oxide, and the mechanical and radiation shielding properties of the resulting samples was studied using theoretical and experimental techniques. Good agreement between the experimental test and the theoretical data was confirmed at all examined energies. Using WO3 in the present concretes increases the density of specimens as well as the photons shielding capability. The increase in the amount of WO3 caused a reduction in the half value layer and an increase in the radiation protection efficiency for the prepared concretes. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) for the control concrete reduces from 0.665 to 0.127 cm−1 over the selected energy range, while it is reduced from 1.803 to 0.134 cm−1 and from 2.014 to 0.138 cm−1 for Conc-1 and Conc-2 samples. The mean free path results demonstrated that all the specimens with additive materials (i.e. WO3 and barite) have lower MFP than the control concrete. Thus, incorporating WO3 and barite into the concrete significantly decreases the MFP of the specimens. The high-density concrete (i.e. Conc-5) absorbs gamma photons more efficaciously than the lower density samples. The radiation protection efficiency (RPE) for Concr-5 is 99% at 0.122 MeV, which suggests that this concrete can stop almost all the incoming photons with low energy.

This paper reports an intense up-conversion luminescence from Dy3+-doped strontium-telluro-alumino-magnesium-borate glasses for the first time. The samples were made via the melt-quenching method and characterized to determine the influence of various CuO nanoparticles contents change on their up-conversion emission traits. Absorption spectral data were used to calculate the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters. The sample without CuO nanoparticles revealed two intense photoluminescence up-conversion emission peaks at 478 and 570 nm. In addition, CuO nanoparticles-activated sample displayed about 1.4-fold up-conversion emission intensity improvement due to strong light absorption in the visible to the infrared region at 799 nm excitation. The stimulated emission cross-section of the CuO nanoparticles-activated glasses was increased from 102.4 × 10−23 to 1301.1 × 10−23 cm2 (nearly 10-fold amplification) while the branching ratio was reduced to 66.9%. Thus, CuO nanoparticles as an additive in the current glass matrix enhanced the up-conversion emission and strengthened the associated nonlinear optical properties. CIE 1931 color matching revealed the influence of CuO in modifying the up-conversion color coordinates, thereby improving the white color purity. The achieved up-conversion emission coupled with the color tunability of the proposed glasses may be advantageous for the up-conversion UV tunable laser making.

We experimentally investigated the effect of TeO2 on the radiation-shielding competence of a BaO–MoO3–B2O3 glass system. Two gamma-ray sources (137Cs and 166Ho) and a scintillator detector (sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) were utilized to measure the attenuation factors of the prepared glass at 0.184, 0.280, 0.662, 0.710, and 0.810 MeV. The measured mass attenuation coefficient agreed well with the theoretically calculated values for all the prepared samples. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) results demonstrated that as the photon energy increased, the penetrating ability of the photons through the glass increased. The LAC values of boro-tellurite glass at 662 keV were compared with those of other tellurite glass. We found that MTB1 glass produced better attenuation results than 10Li2O–20K2O–50B2O3–20TeO2 glass, whereas MTB5 glass with 70 mol% TeO2 had an LAC value greater than that of 90.4TeO2-9.6ZnO–4NiO glass. The half-value layer (HVL) increased continuously with photon energy. For MTB1 glass, the HVL increased from 0.3609 cm at 184 keV to 1.6078 cm at 662 keV and 1.8381 cm at 810 keV. The lowest set of HVL values was observed for MTB5 glass, which confirmed its superior attenuation properties compared to other compositions. The transmission factor (TF) was also calculated; MTB5 glass had the lowest TF values, which revealed that MTB5 provided the best shield. For glass with a thickness of 1 cm, the TF was 75.8% for MTB1, 72.8% for MTB2, 70.6% for MTB3, 68.8% for MTB4, and 63.4% for MTB5.

The melt quenching process have been used to fabricate the PbO–B2O3–CuO–CaO glass samples. The density increases with the inclusion of PbO to the samples. The optical band gap decreases as PbO mol% concentration rises. With the rise in PbO concentration, the refractive index, dielectric constant, and optical dielectric constant increase from 2.141 to 2.248, 4.583 to 5.052, and 3.583 to 4.052, respectively. The selected glass samples were found to be non-metallic in nature. The radiation shielding features were reported using EpiXS software from 0.122 to 1.458 MeV. The mass attenuation coefficient (μm) decreases as the sample constituent PbO is replaced with B2O3. The 50PbO–20B2O3–15CuO–15CaO glass sample, which is denoted by A4, has the highest μm in all photon energy. The radiation protection efficiency (RPE) drops dramatically while the energy increases from 0.122 to 1.458 MeV. The RPE of all glass samples is virtually 1 at 0.122 MeV, implying that they can all block all incoming radiation of 0.122 MeV. The prepared glasses possess promising radiation shielding properties. The largest relative reduction in transmission (RRT) values have been recorded to be 82% at 0.122 MeV. At low energies, the effect of PbO on photon transmission through the glass is significant, but as the energy increases, the effect of PbO on photon transmission decreases.

The aim of this work is to study the radiation shielding properties of cement samples with waste glass incortated into its composition. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) of the samples were experimentally determined to evaluate their radiation shielding ability. The experimental coefficient was evaluated using NaI detector for gamma energies between 59.53 keV and 1408.01 keV using different radioactive point sources Am-241, Eu-152, Co-60, and Cs-137, and the gamma transmission parameters half-value layer, mean free path, and transmission factor were calculated. The theoretical coefficient of the composites was determined using Geant4 and XCOM software. The results were also compared against Geant4 and XCOM simulations by calculating the relative deviation between the values to determine the accuracy of the results. In addition the mechanical properties (including Compressive and porosity) as well as the thermogravimetric analysis were tested for the present samples. Overall, it was concluded that the cement sample with 50% waste glass has the greatest shielding potential for radiation shielding applications and is a useful way to reuse waste glass.

The radiation shielding properties of ball clays produced with various percentages of 5, 10, 15, and 20 w.t% of micro and nano ZnO were experimentally evaluated in this paper. The effects of micro and nano ZnO on the attenuation competence of the prepared ball clays were compared. At all energies, we discovered that the ball clay with nano ZnO has a higher linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) than ZnO with microparticles. This finding suggests that nano-sized ZnO-ball clay samples absorbed more photons than microsized ZnO ball clay samples. The half-value layer (HVL) for the ball clay prepared with micro and nano ZnO was reported. At all the energies tested, we discovered that the ball clay with nano ZnO has a slightly lower HVL than the ball clay with micro ZnO. The HVL at 0.06 MeV is found to be 0.934 cm for the ball clay containing 5 w.t% micro ZnO and 0.866 cm for the ball clay containing 5 w.t% nano ZnO. We concluded from the HVL results that if the space in which the shield will be used is limited, the ball clay with nano ZnO is more useful because a thinner specimen with nano ZnO can attenuate half ofthe incoming photons. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to investigate the properties of ZnO/ball clay.

This study aims to experimentally analyze the radiation shielding capabilities of micro and nano bismuth oxide waste glasses by evaluating the effect of particle size, bismuth oxide content, and energy on the attenuation abilities of the samples. Waste glasses were powdered and combined with varying amounts of bismuth oxide with different particle sizes to test a total of seven waste glasses using the collimate gamma-ray technique. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis and a scanning electron microscope were used to determine the homogeneity of the samples. The experimental mass attenuation coefficient for the micro Bi2O3 samples was compared with values obtained from the XCOM program to determine their accuracy. From these values, the linear attenuation factor and the radiation protection efficiency of the waste glass samples were obtained. The results demonstrated that the smaller particle size of the glasses with nanoparticles led to an enhancement in their radiation shielding properties compared to the samples with microparticles. This improvement occurs because of the greater homogeneity provided by the smaller particles, allowing for more interactions between the glasses and the incoming radiation, leading to greater attenuation. The pure glass sample has a radiation protection efficiency (RPE) of 45.29% at 0.06 MeV, while the samples with Bi2O3 have RPE values ranging from 83.85 to 99.73%. The RPE for the sample with 30 w.t% micro Bi2O3 is equal to 39.43% at 0.356 MeV while the sample with 30 w.t% nano Bi2O3 is equal to 44.44%. Thus, it was concluded that the nano bismuth oxide samples are more effective at shielding gamma-rays than the micro bismuth oxide waste glasses.

Rare earth doped barium tellurite glasses were synthesised and explored for their radiation shielding applications. All the samples showed good thermal stability with values varying between 101 °C and 135 °C based on dopants. Structural properties showed the dominance of matrix elements compared to rare earth dopants in forming the bridging and non-bridging atoms in the network. Bandgap values varied between 3.30 and 4.05 eV which was found to be monotonic with respective rare earth dopants indicating their modification effect in the network. Various radiation shielding parameters like linear attenuation coefficient, mean free path and half value layer were calculated and each showed the effect of doping. For all samples, LAC values decreased with increase in energy and is attributed to photoelectric mechanism. Thulium doped glasses showed the highest value of 1.18 cm−1 at 0.245 MeV for 2 mol.% doping, which decreased in the order of erbium, holmium and the base barium tellurite glass, while half value layer and mean free paths showed an opposite trend with least value for 2 mol.% thulium indicating that thulium doped samples are better attenuators compared to undoped and other rare earth doped samples. Studies indicate an increased level of thulium doping in barium tellurite glasses can lead to efficient shielding materials for high energy radiation.

In this paper, the EPICS2017 photoatomic database was used to evaluate the photon mass attenuation coefficients and buildup factors of soils collected at different depths in the Philippine islands. The extraction and interpolation of the library was accomplished at the recommended linear-linear scales to obtain the incoherent and total cross section and mass attenuation coefficient. The buildup factors were evaluated using the G-P fitting method in ANSI/ANS-6.4.3. An agreement was achieved between XCOM, MCNP5, and EPICS2017 for the calculated mass attenuation coefficient values. The buildup factors were reported at several penetration depths within the standard energy grid. The highest values of both buildup factor classifications were found in the energy range between 100 and 400 keV where incoherent scattering interaction probabilities are predominant, and least at the region of predominant photoionization events. The buildup factors were examined as a function of different soil silica contents. The soil samples with larger silica concentrations were found to have higher buildup factor values and hence lower shielding characteristics, while conversely, those with the least silica contents have increased shielding characteristics brought by the increased proportions of the abundant heavier oxides.

The Forbush effect is one of the striking examples of irregular variations in the cosmic ray (CR) flux. It is a heliospheric phenomenon that includes a decrease and a recovery of the CR intensity and small changes in the CR density and anisotropy before the start of the main decrease. They were first noted as the effects of decreasing the intensity of cosmic rays, coinciding with geomagnetic storms. The increased interest is observed in recent years and it is primarily because their variables are strongly related to processes in solar-terrestrial physics. Forbush effects convey significant information regarding interplanetary disturbances. In the present work, fifty-three Forbush decrease (FD) events were categorized into four types according to their profile shape. From 1990 to 2020, cosmic ray intensity data from five neutron monitor stations (two subpolar and three mid-latitude) were used. The superposed epoch technique has been used to calculate the vectorial average of the observed diurnal vectors for every day of the four types of FD. It can be found that the subpolar stations (McMurdo and Thule) showed different behavior than the other stations. The solar-diurnal variation at the Thule and McMurdo subpolar stations is comparable on some days to the variation at mid-latitude stations, indicating that CR anisotropy on these days is not the only (and sometimes not the main) source of the solar-diurnal variation. The contribution of the solar-diurnal anisotropy to the diurnal variation at subpolar stations is small, much less than at other neutron monitors.