Investigation of the gamma-ray shielding performance of the B2O3-Bi2O3-ZnO-Li2O glasses based on the Monte Carlo approach

The purpose of this article is to investigate the shielding performance of the B2O3-Bi2O3-ZnO-Li2O glasses against the gamma-ray. To this end, the attenuation parameters of the gamma-ray inside the B2O3-Bi2O3-ZnO-Li2O glasses were evaluated in the energy range of 200-1500 keV. It was found that the mass attenuation coefficient of the composites increases with increasing the Li2O content. The relative percent deviation between the results of simulation using the MCNPX and XCOM database in most cases was less than 2%. Additionally, the Mean Free Path (MFP) and Half-Value Layer (HVL) parameters were evaluated, and the shielding efficiency of samples was compared with some conventional shielding material in the term of HVL. The results show that among the examined samples, the B4 glass sample has the best shielding performance against the gamma-ray.

Automated summary

This study investigates the shielding performance of B2O3-Bi2O3-ZnO-Li2O glasses against gamma-rays, finding that the mass attenuation coefficient of the composites increases with higher Li2O content. Results from simulation using the MCNPX and XCOM databases show a relative percent deviation of less than 2% in most cases. The B4 glass sample is identified as having the best shielding performance among the samples tested.