Evaluation of nuclear radiation shielding competence for ternary Ge–Sb–S chalcogenide glasses

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Materials science & processing, 2020-04, Vol.126 (4), Article 258
• Main Authors: El-Agawany, F. I., Mahmoud, K. A., Kavaz, E., El-Mallawany, R., Rammah, Y. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimony; Applied physics; Atomic properties; Attenuation coefficients; Cadmium chloride; Chalcogenides; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Computer simulation; Condensed Matter Physics; Cross-sections; Fast neutrons; Gamma rays; Germanium; Machines; Manufacturing; Materials science; Mathematical analysis; Monte Carlo simulation; Nanotechnology; Nuclear radiation; Optical and Electronic Materials; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Radiation shielding; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-020-3426-7

Chalcogenide glasses are which include germanium, antimony, and sulfur in its structure. The high physical, dielectric, optical, mechanical, and thermal features of the chalcogenide glasses lead to the occasion to evaluate its radiation shielding characteristics. Gamma ray and neutron shielding parameters were evaluated for five chalcogenide glasses doped with CdCl 2 according to the formula 60(GeS 2 )–(40 −  x )Sb 2 S 3 – x CdCl 2 ; x  = 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mol% glasses. The mass attenuation coefficient MAC for chalcogenide glasses was simulated using Monte Carlo simulation code (MCNP-5) in gamma photon energy between 0.015 and 15 MeV. The obtained results showed that the MAC for all studied glasses decreases with insertions of CdCl 2 . The highest MAC is obtained for GSC glasses without CdCl 2 content and varied between 0.037 and 4.706 cm 2  g −1 , while the lowest MAC achieved for GSC 40 glasses with (40 mol%) CdCl 2 and varied between 0.034 and 44.758 cm 2  g −1 . After that, the simulated MAC for all chalcogenide glasses is compared with those calculated theoretically using XCOM software. Other pivotal gamma ray shielding competences such as half value layer, mean free path and effective atomic number ( Z eff ), and exposure buildup factor for the chalcogenide glasses were also evaluated via the μ / ρ . Furthermore, the fast neutron removal cross section (Σ R ) was also evaluated for chalcogenide glasses. GSC0 possesses the best removal cross section for fast neutron (Ʃ R  = 0.0695 cm −1 ) among the present chalcogenide glasses.