Comparison study of photon attenuation characteristics of Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with Pb(NO3)2 by MCNP5 code, XCOM and experimental results

Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) mixed with varying degrees of Pb(NO3)(2) (0-30 wt%) as reinforced materials were prepared in this paper. The construction and optical properties of samples have been studied using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) at 400-4000 cm(-1) UV-VIS at 190-900 nm. Gamma-ray shielding properties were analyzed by( 133)Ba (0.356 MeV) and Cs-137 (0.662 MeV) gamma ray source, Xcom program and MCNP5 code. The results showed that shielding properties of polyvinyl alcohol increased by the increment of lead nitrate. The experimental values were in good agreement with the Xcom values and MCNP5 code, thus the Xcom and MCNP5 could be used to analyze the shielding performance accurately. Moreover, exposure buildup factor (EBF) and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) of shielding materials were analyzed by G-P fitting method at 0.015-15MeV.