Determination of radiation shielding performance of phospo-silicate glass by introducing tellurite oxide modifier

Current research investigated the performance of phosphor-silicate glasses as gamma-ray shields. The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) of the chosen glasses were determined using the both Phy-x/PSD and WinXcom codes. From the results obtained, both approaches yield (μ/ρ) values that are found to be in good agreement with each other. These values are then used to compute the half-value layer, effective atomic number, mean free path , and energy exposure buildup factors. Taken from the results, the EBFs for the current glasses were observed to be small in the low energy region (in order of unity at E ¼ 0.015 MeV) and then reach maximum value for all glasses at 40 mfp in the high-photon energy region. The obtained results have been contrasted with that of window glasses and a few common shielding concretes. It was found that the chosen glasses are highly effective in gamma shielding applications, as indicated by the lower mean free path values. • The incorporation of TeO2 into PSG enhanced the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC). • Results show that PSG4 exhibited the best gamma ray attenuation, with a high MAC of 41.4 cm 2 /g and effective atomic number (Z eff ) of 61.30. • The study demonstrated how density and chemical composition of TeO 2 influence the gamma ray shielding efficiency of PSG. • Variations of MAC with photon energy from 19.8 KeV to 44.1 KeV were attributed to dominant photoelectric effect.