Radiation shielding competence of chalcogenide alloys with high Te content

In this research paper, we report on the radiation shielding ability of five newly developed chalcogenide alloys described by the chemical compositions of Ge₂₀Sb₆Te₇₂Bi₂ (GTSB1), Ge₂₀Sb₆Te₇₀Bi₄ (GTSB2), Ge₂₀Sb₆Te₆₈Bi₆ (GTSB3), Ge₂₀Sb₆Te₆₆Bi₈ (GTSB4), and Ge₂₀Sb₆Te₆₄Bi₁₀ (GTSB5). The simulation (Monte Carlo) technique is systematically utilized to understand the problem of radiation propagation through the chalcogenide alloys. The maximum deviation between the theoretical values and simulations outcomes for each alloy sample corresponds to circa 0.525, 0.517, 0.875, 0.619, and 0.574% for GTSB1, GTSB2, GTSB3, GTSB4, and GTSB5, respectively. The obtained results indicate that the rapid decline in the value of the attenuation coefficients is mainly due to the main photon interaction process with the alloys for E≤500 keV. Additionally, the charged particle and neutron transmission properties are assessed for the involved chalcogenide alloys. Comparing the MFP and HVL with those of the conventional shielding glasses and concretes, the present alloys are good photon absorbers and they could be used to replace some conventional shields in radiation protection applications.