Detailed Inspection of gamma-ray, Fast and Thermal Neutrons Shielding Competence of Calcium Oxide or Strontium Oxide Comprising Bismuth Borate Glasses

Abstract

For both the B2O3-Bi2O3-CaO and B2O3-Bi2O3-SrO glass systems, gamma-ray and neutron attenuation qualities were evaluated. Utilizing the Phy-X/PSD program, within the 0.015-15 MeV energy range, linear attenuation coefficients (mu) and mass attenuation coefficients (mu/rho) were calculated, and the attained mu/rho quantities match well with respective simulation results computed by MCNPX, Geant4, and Penelope codes. Instead of B2O3/CaO or B2O3/SrO, the Bi2O3 addition causes improved gamma-ray shielding competence, i.e., rise in effective atomic number (Z(eff)) and a fall in half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP). Exposure buildup factors (EBFs) and energy absorption buildup factors (EABFs) were derived using a geometric progression (G-P) fitting approach at 1-40 mfp penetration depths (PDs), within the 0.015-15 MeV range. Computed radiation protection efficiency (RPE) values confirm their excellent capacity for lower energy photons shielding. Comparably greater density (7.59 g/cm(3)), larger mu, mu/rho, Z(eff), equivalent atomic number (Z(eq)), and RPE, with the lowest HVL, TVL, MFP, EBFs, and EABFs derived for 30B(2)O(3)-60Bi(2)O(3)-10SrO (mol%) glass suggest it as an excellent gamma-ray attenuator. Additionally, 30B(2)O(3)-60Bi(2)O(3)-10SrO (mol%) glass holds a commensurably bigger macroscopic removal cross-section for fast neutrons (Sigma(R)) (=0.1199 cm(-1)), obtained by applying Phy-X/PSD for fast neutrons shielding, owing to the presence of larger wt% of 'Bi' (80.6813 wt%) and moderate 'B' (2.0869 wt%) elements in it. 70B(2)O(3)-5Bi(2)O(3)-25CaO (mol%) sample (B: 17.5887 wt%, Bi: 24.2855 wt%, Ca: 11.6436 wt%, and O: 46.4821 wt%) shows high potentiality for thermal or slow neutrons and intermediate energy neutrons capture or absorption due to comprised high wt% of 'B' element in it.