Computational analysis of neutron and gamma ray shielding efficiency in Al2O3-SiO2-ZrO2 ceramic glass systems for
E O Echeweozo1, M S Al-Buriahi2, Talal M Althagafi3
1Department of Industrial and Medical Physics, David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria; International Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Health Research, DUFUHS, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Abstract:
Zirconium (Zr) based ceramic glass is a commonly utilized glass ceramic due to its exceptional mechanical and chemical properties. These materials exhibit high durability and resistance to acid attack, making them prospective materials for ionizing radiation protection applications. This study aims to evaluate the neutron and gamma radiation shielding properties of a Zirconium (Zr) based glass ceramics (ASZx) by computing the Linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), Mean free path (MFP), Half-value layer (HVL), Effective atomic number (Zeff), and Fast neutron removal cross-section (FNRCS) using WinXCOM at different photon energies. The samples were formulated using varying molar percentages (mol%) of Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3), Silicon dioxide (SiO2), and Zirconia (ZrO2) to produce Al2O3-SiO2-ZrO2. Results show that ASZ1 displays the highest LAC of 37.71 cm-1 and MAC value of 10.47 cm2/g at 0.015 MeV, trailed by ASZ2 and ASZ3, demonstrating that ceramic glasses with higher Zr have higher attenuation properties at lower energies. The result also showed that ASZ1 exhibited a maximum FNRCS value of 0.1072 cm-1, indicating that a composition of ASZ1 ceramic glass is effective in fast neutron shielding than some traditional neutron shielding materials. This suggests that the ASZx ceramic glass system is a potential alternative to commercially available SCHOTT shielding glasses for some special applications.
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