Theoretical and Monte Carlo simulation studies on the radiation shielding performance of lead-free TeO₂-ZnO-CaO-B₂O₃...

This work presents the theoretical and simulation studies of the radiation shielding performance of lead-free TeO₂-ZnO-CaO-B₂O₃ glass system. The theoretical density of the glass system was calculated using the rule of mixture and increased from 3.63 to 4.56 g/cm³ with increasing TeO₂ content. The mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) of the TeZnCaB glass system were evaluated over a photon energy range of 0.015-10 MeV using FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation and validated through XCOM and Phy-X/PSD software, showing excellent agreement. The MAC values increased progressively with TeO₂ addition, reaching a maximum of 36.437 cm²/g at 0.015 MeV for the TeZnCaB45 sample, indicating enhanced radiation shielding capability. Correspondingly, the half-value layer (HVL) decreased from 0.0069 to 0.0045 cm at 0.015 MeV and from 7.385 to 5.617 cm at 10 MeV, following the trend TeZnCaB20 > TeZnCaB25 > TeZnCaB30 > TeZnCaB35 > TeZnCaB40 > TeZnCaB45. Similarly, the mean free path (MFP) decreased with increasing TeO₂ concentration, confirming improved attenuation efficiency. The effective atomic number (Z_eff) increased from 32.885 to 38.445 at low photon energy, reflecting stronger photon-matter interaction with increasing TeO₂ content. Among the investigated compositions, the TeZnCaB45 sample exhibited the best overall shielding performance due to its highest density, largest MAC and maximum Z_eff. Moreover, the developed glasses demonstrated superior shielding performance compared to some commercial shielding glasses and ordinary concrete. These findings indicate that the TeZnCaB glasses are eco-friendly, non-toxic and promising alternatives to lead, with strong potential as effective shielding materials for X-ray and gamma-ray protection.