Repercussions of yttrium oxides on radiation shielding capacity of sodium-silicate glass system: experimental and Monte Carlo simulation study

Five glass samples with composition 37.5 Na2O + (61.1 − x) SiO2 + xY2O3, x = 1, 2, 5, 5.7 and 6 mol% were synthesized using the melting methods at temperatures varying between 1400 and 1500 °C, depending on the Y2O3 insertion ratio. The synthesized glasses density was measured using the Archimedes method. Moreover, the linear attenuation coefficient was measured experimentally using the gamma-ray transmission method with NaI (Tl) crystal and radio-isotopes C-137 and Co-60. The mass attenuation coefficient was calculated based on the experimental linear attenuation coefficient and confirmed using the Monte Carlo simulation MCNP-5 code and XCOM program. The gamma-ray shielding capacity was enhanced with the replacement of SiO2 by Y2O3. The LAC at energy 0.662 MeV varied in the range between 0.201 and 0.232 cm−1, increasing the Y2O3 insertion ratio between 1 and 6 mol%, respectively. The fast neutron effective removal cross section ∑R (cm2/g) was also evaluated theoretically for the fabricated glass samples. The computed ∑R values decreased linearly with the Y2O3 content.