Radiation shielding properties of low-density Ti-based bulk metallic glass composites: a computational study

Abstract

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), a new class of structural and functional materials with unique physical and chemical features like high corrosion resistance, high yield strength, low elastic modulus, and transparency to visible light indicate they could be the potential shields against unwanted radiations. This study presents an attempt to investigate the radiation shielding efficiencies of a few titanium (Ti)-based BMGs with low densities in the range (4.43 - 5.15) g/cm3. Different shielding properties viz., attenuation coefficients (µm and µ), half and tenth value layers (HVL and TVL), mean free path (λ), effective atomic number (Zeff ), buildup factors (EBF and EABF), and fast neutron removal cross-section (ΣR) were evaluated in the energy range 0.015MeV to 15MeV using Phy-X/PSD software. The five-parametric geometric-progression (G-P) fitting method was employed to calculate EBF and EABF, whereas Zeff values were calculated through the electronic to atomic cross-section ratio. Further, obtained results were compared with two conventional shielding materials: lead (Pb) and heavy concrete (StMg). We found that among 8 BMGs, sample Ti41.9Zr36.3V12.1Cu6.3Be3.4(S1) with the lowest Ti and highest Zr-composition by mass (41.9% and 36.3% respectively) exhibited the best radiation and neutron shielding characteristics with the highest µm (0.02 - 15MeV), µ (0.0015 - 0.2MeV), Zeff (0.015 - 0.06MeV) and ΣR. These values were higher than that of StMg, but lower than those of Pb. Moreover, S1 exhibited the lowest values of HVL, TVL, and MFP in 0.015-0.2MeV region. However, the lowest EBF and EABF values belonged to BMG S1 only in the intermediate energy region (0.1 - 2MeV). But the sample Ti90Al6V4(S7) was the worst among all BMGs and StMg. Thus, low-density Ti-based BMGs have better shielding performances and the potential to replace conventional StMgs and toxic Pb-based materials.

A theoretical focus on nanoparticle attenuation capabilities for potential utilizations in radiation protect: TiO2-SiO2-Fe3O4-B4C-Al2O3

“…In this context, many parameters (Mass Attenuation Coefficient (MAC), Linear Attenuation Coefficient (LAC), Half Value Layer (HVL), Mean Free Path (MFP), Atomic Cross-Sections, Total Electronic Cross-Sections, Effective Atomic Number (Z eff ), Effective Electron Density (N eff ), Effective Conductivity (C eff ), Fast Neutron Removal Cross-Section (FNRCS), Exposure Build-up Factor (EBF), and Energy Absorption Build-up Factor (EABF)) are used to test the radiation absorption performance of the NCs formed, and all these parameters used in the study are presented in table 1 [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64].…”

“…Phy-X/PSD is a program that calculates the photon cross-sections and energy deposition in materials [56][57][58], while EpiXS is a Monte Carlo simulation program that can accurately predict radiation transport and energy deposition in complex geometries [59][60][61][62][63]. XMuDAT is a software package for calculating attenuation coefficients and cross-sections for various materials [19,46,[64][65][66].…”

An Experimental Examination on the Determination of γ-ray Shielding Parameters of Some Dielectric Materials

“…There are many studies in the literature for this purpose. Subedi and Lamichhane (2023) investigated radiation shielding efficiencies of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with various physical and chemical features. Özkan et al (2023) have analyzed aluminum alloy AA6082 + (0-40%) B4C materials by PSD software.…”

Gamma-ray, fast neutron and ion shielding characteristics of low-density and high-entropy Mg–Al–Ti–V–Cr–Fe–Zr–Nb alloy systems using Phy-X/PSD and SRIM programs

“…A plethora of research including those on various ceramics [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , polymer composites [16] , [17] , [18] , glass systems [19] , [20] , [21] , and metal alloys [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] has been conducted in a search of efficient materials that could replace conventional shielding facilities offered by Pb-based materials and different types of concretes. In our previous work [27] , we investigated and compared the radiation shielding properties of lightweight Ti-based bulk metallic glasses with traditional Pb and heavy concrete materials.…”