Electromagnetic-Ray Absorption Using B2O3-PbO-Na2O Glass Mixtures as Radiation Protection Shields

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Physics Departement, College of Science, Kirkuk University

2 Department of Physics, College of Science, Kirkuk University, Kirkuk, Iraq.

Abstract

In this work, Lead Borate glass system doped with sodium is prepared and fabricated using the melt-quenching technique. The glasses are prepared based on the empirical formula of xPbO, (80-x) B2O3, 20Na2O (where x=0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50). The densities of the samples are measured with the Archimedes method by using Benzene as an immersion liquid. The radiation shielding parameters of the prepared glass samples have been measured experimentally and calculated theoretically. The experimental mass attenuation coefficients are obtained by using a shielded NaI(Tl) detector at photon energies 511, 662, and 1173 keV of the radioactive sources 22Na, 137Cs, and 60Co respectively, where collimators of aperture diameter 3 mm are used to ensure that the detector absorbs a narrow beam of gamma rays. The calculated mass attenuation coefficients (µm), half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), atomic cross-section (σa), electron cross-section (σe) radiation protection efficiency (RPE) are performed theoretically by using WinXCom and Phy-X/PSD computer programs in the energy range from 1 keV to 1 GeV. The calculated parameters of the investigated glasses have been compared with the measured experimental values

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