Charged particles and gamma-ray shielding features of oxyfluoride semiconducting glasses: TeO2-Ta2O5-ZnO/ZnF2

Abstract In this study, the uncharged/charged and photon shielding features of TeO2.Ta2O5.ZnO/ZnF2 tellurite-rich glass system with different ZnO/ZnF2 ratio (encoded as TTZ, TTZF4, TTZF8, TTZF12 and TTZF16) were comprehensively discussed. The mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) were achieved employing MCNPX simulation codes and the outcomes were verified with theoretical data computed by WinXCOM software. The MACs varied between 47.667 to 0.034 for TTZ glass (for ZnO=16 mol%) and the largest MAC values were gained for TTZ glass among the others. Several MAC-based photon attenuation parameters, Half Value Layer (HVL), equivalent atomic number (Zeq) and Exposure Buildup Factor (EBF), of TTZF glasses were also determined for the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. The results indicated that the enhancement in ZnO grows the gamma-ray attenuation competences of TTZF glasses. Furthermore, removal cross section of fast neutrons (∑R) for TTZF glasses was found and it has been noted that higher glass density has enhanced the ∑R values. The ΣR values of TTZF glasses change between 0.1103-0.1174 cm-1. At last, projected range (PR) and mass stopping power (MSP) for charged particles has been investigated within the kinetic energy range between 0.01–10 MeV. It is found that all TTZF glasses possess nearly close MSP and PR values for proton and alpha particles. We trust that the results of this study will guide the radiation protection capabilities of tellurite-rich glass systems.