Radiation shielding performance of CeF₃-Doped Li₂O-PbO-GdF₃-SiO₂ glasses: Monte Carlo simulation MCNPX and PHY-X/PSD...

This study investigates the high performance of CeF₃-doped lithium-lead-gadolinium-silicate glasses, providing a strategy for designing high-performance, sustainable materials for medical, industrial, and nuclear applications. The present work explores both low-and high-energy photon attenuation, emphasizing the simultaneous optimization of optical transparency and shielding efficiency. Five glass compositions-S1 (25Li₂O-15PbO-5GdF₃-54.9SiO₂-0CeF₃), S2 (25Li₂O-15PbO-5GdF₃-54.9SiO₂-0.1CeF₃), S3 (25Li₂O-15PbO-5GdF₃-54.9SiO₂-0.5CeF₃), S4 (25Li₂O-15PbO-5GdF₃-54.9SiO₂-1.0CeF₃), and S5 (25Li2O-15PbO-5GdF3-54.9SiO2-1.5CeF₃)-were analyzed to quantify photon attenuation across 0.015-15 MeV using MCNPX and PHY-X/PSD. Although CeF₃-doped glasses have been studied previously, no systematic work has examined how controlled CeF₃ incorporation simultaneously affects low-and high-energy photon shielding in this glass system. The novelty of this study lies in demonstrating that CeF₃-doping enhances high-energy photon attenuation while maintaining effective low-energy shielding. The study provides new insights into the correlation between CeF₃ concentration, photon interaction mechanisms, and radiation-shielding performance. Key radiation-shielding parameters-including Mass Attenuation Coefficient (MAC), Linear Attenuation Coefficient (LAC), Half-Value Layer (HVL), Mean Free Path (MFP), Tenth-Value Layer (TVL), and Effective Atomic Number (Z_eff) -were evaluated, revealing strong correlations between CeF₃ concentration and photon interaction. Even minimal CeF₃ additions improved shielding performance, particularly at higher photon energies. The HVL is smaller at low energies, slightly decreases with higher CeF3 content, reflecting improved shielding efficiency. The MAC increased with CeF3 content, showing enhanced photon attenuation, especially at low energies. At 0.662 MeV, the developed glass demonstrates competitive performance compared to standard lead glass (∼0.85 cm^-1) and barium concrete (∼0.12 cm^-1), highlighting their practical potential. Furthermore, these results indicate that CeF₃-doped glasses can achieve effective radiation shielding with thinner layers, reducing material usage while maintaining high performance. The LAC decreases with photon energy but remains high for CeF3-doped samples, comparable to standard lead glass. The TVL follows the trend of the HVL requiring thinner layers for effective high-energy radiation attenuation in CeF3-doped glasses. The MFP increases with photon energy and is slightly extended by CeF3, indicating deeper photon penetration at high energies. The Z_eff is high at low energies and rises with CeF3 at higher energies, boosting photon interaction and shielding. Overall, this work provides a sustainable and effective pathway for optimizing glass compositions for next-generation radiation shielding in medical imaging, radiation therapy, nuclear safety, and advanced industrial applications. These attributes position CeF₃-doped lithium-lead-gadolinium-silicate glasses as promising candidates for next-generation protective solutions in medical imaging, radiation therapy, nuclear safety, and advanced industrial operations.