Ionizing radiation shielding properties of CdZnSe chalcogenide glass

The Phy-X/PSD software tool was used in this study to examine
the radiation shielding properties of chalcogenide glasses with the
chemical composition of Se85Cd15–xZnx glasses (where x = 3, 7,
and 11). Exposure buildup factor (EBF), mass attenuation coefficient
(MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), half value layer (HVL),
energy absorption buildup factor (EABF), and mean free path (MFP).
The transmission factor (TF), radiation protection effectiveness, and
effective atomic number (Zeff ) were also evaluated in order to clarify
the radiation shielding competency of the current chalcogenide
glass (ChG). MAC values for Se85 Cd12 Zn3 (92.696 cm2/g), Se85 Cd8
Zn7 (95.160 cm2/g), and Se85 Cd4 Zn11 (97.741 cm2/g) are all high,
but as energy increases, the MAC value decreases with each glass
sample. HVL values of the glasses under study increase up to a maximum
at 6 MeV, after which they decline for photon energies above
0.1 MeV. Se85 Cd4 Zn11 has an HVL peak value of 4.349 cm with
the largest Zn concentration and 4.244 cm for Se85 Cd12 Zn3 with
the largest Cd concentration at 6 MeV for both. Se85 Cd12 Zn3 has
the lowest MFP values; a higher Cd addition at Se85 Cd12 Zn3 corresponds
to a superior shield. RPE values at 1 cm are 27.96%, 27.82%,
and 27.67%, respectively. As opposed to this, the RPE values rise to
80.21% for Se85 Cd4 Zn11, 80.41 for Se85 Cd8 Zn7 and 80.61% for
Se85 Cd12 Zn3 at 5 cm. Se85 Cd12 Zn3 is the most effective sample for
radiation shielding between the examined glasses; this is because it
corresponds to a greater Cd content.