Exploration of material characteristics of tantalum borosilicate glasses by experimental, simulation, and theoretical methods

Abstract We aimed to perform a multimethod characterization of the nuclear shielding ability of some tantalum borosilicate glasses. Accordingly, gamma-ray attenuation parameters of glasses with the nominal composition of xTa2O5-(50-x)BaO–25B2O3–15SiO2–10CaO (x = 0, 4, 8, 12, and 15 wt%) were extensively evaluated by experimental, simulation, and theoretical methods. Firstly, amorphous structures of the glasses were determined by X-ray diffraction measurements. The linear attenuation coefficients of the glasses were experimentally measured with a NaI (Tl) (7.62 cm × 7.62 cm) detector. Accordingly, the values obtained were compared with the program XCOM and the general-purpose Monte Carlo simulation code FLUKA at photon energies from 81 to 2614 keV along with gamma-ray transmission values. Furthermore, linear attenuation coefficients were used to calculate other related parameters, such as mass attenuation coefficients, half-value layers, mean free paths, effective atomic numbers and effective electron numbers, total molecular cross sections, total atomic cross sections, and radiation protection efficiency. It was found that the XCOM and FLUKA values of the shielding parameters are in satisfactory agreement with experimental values. Experimental mass attenuation coefficients at a photon energy of 662 keV were 0.075379, 0.075936, 0.076493, 0.077051, and 0.077469 cm2/g for xTa2O5-(50-x)BaO–25B2O3–15SiO2–10CaO with x = 0, 4, 8, 12, and 15 wt%, respectively, whereas effective atomic numbers were 19.27, 19.42, 19.56, 19.70, and 19.81, respectively. Among the samples examined, the highest linear attenuation coefficients, mass attenuation coefficients, and effective atomic and electron numbers, and the lowest half-value layers and mean free paths were reported for 15Ta2O5–35BaO–25B2O3–15SiO2–10CaO, with a material density of 4.610 g/cm3.