Advancement in Shielding Materials: Geant4 Simulation of Gamma Radiation With Polystyrene-Bismuth Oxide

Abstract The selection of suitable materials for radiation shielding is of paramount importance in safeguarding individuals and the environment against the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation. As radiation-emitting technologies continue to expand across various domains, the meticulous assessment of appropriate shielding materials has become increasingly critical. This work has presented a comprehensive study on Polystyrene-bismuth oxide composites (PS-Bi2O3) within an energy range spanning from 100 to 2000 keV, containing different percentage compositions of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3). The primary objective is to explore the gamma mass attenuation μ/ρ and linear attenuation μ coefficients of these composites which lead to comprehensive evaluation of half-value layers of all the studied samples as it is very crucial parameter in finding the shielding ability of a material, while it encompassed various weight factors of bismuth oxide within the samples. This exploration has been carried out through the utilization of EpiXS and a Monte Carlo simulation-based toolkit, namely Geant4. The rationale for covering such a wide energy spectrum for gamma rays is to ensure applicability across a diverse range of scenarios, so that the findings can be useful in many different situations. These attenuation coefficients have been used to determine the half-value layers of each of the various samples. Additionally, the study involved a comparative analysis of the effective atomic numbers and effective electron densities obtained from the EpiXS results. In summary, this research offered valuable insights by not only developing new and reliable shielding materials but also by thoroughly exploring the shielding characteristics of Polystyrene-bismuth oxide composites across a diverse range of energy levels and examining potential of its uses across that wide range of energy levels. The findings have the potential to inform the selection of effective shielding materials in various practical applications, ensuring enhanced radiation protection in different settings.