Gamma attenuation, buildup factors, and radiation shielding performance of CaO-borosilicate glasses

This paper investigates the gamma attenuation properties and radiation shielding performance of CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glasses. Through theoretical analysis, the mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) and its corresponding mass energy-absorption coefficient (μen/ρ) of the selected glasses are computed across various photon energies. The other related parameters such as dose rate, effective atomic number, and buildup factor are also determined and discussed in details. The results reveal that there is a significant variation in the attenuation behaviour with changing glass composition and photon energy. As the photon energy increases beyond a certain point (around 0.3 MeV in this table), the values of (μ/ρ) tend to plateau or decrease slowly. Furthermore, we provide a comparative analysis of the mass attenuation coefficient of the investigated glasses with those of commercial SCHOTT's radiation shielding glasses, offering insights into their relative shielding efficacy. This study contributes to the understanding of the radiation shielding capabilities of CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glasses, offering potential applications in diverse fields requiring effective gamma radiation protection.