Half value layer, mean free path and exposure buildup factor for tellurite glasses with different oxide compositions

The half value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) of tellurite glasses with different forming oxides (BaO, ZnO, Nb2O5, Ag2O, MgO and PbO) have been calculated using WinXCom program in order to examine their possibility for utilization as radiation shielding glasses. Furthermore, Geometric Progression method (G-P) has been used to calculate exposure buildup factor (EBF) values for incident photon energy 0.015 MeV-15 MeV up to penetration depths of 40 mfp (mean free path). It has been found that TeO2-PbO glass has the minimum HVL and MFP; hence it possesses excellent shielding capability against gamma radiation. The obtained results of the selected glass series have been compared, in terms of MFP with seven types of concretes. The shielding effectiveness of the selected glasses is found better to that of concretes. The obtained results in this work show that these glasses may be potential candidates for radiation shielding applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.