Search

In this work we investigated new different glass compositions 20PbO–20BaO–(60 − x)B2O3–xZnO (x = 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mol%) to study the radiation shielding capability of these glass composites. The shielding ability was measured experimentally using narrow beam method (which including HPGe detector, point sources and lead collimators). The accuracy was verified by XCOM software, the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of the produced glasses was ascertained using both methods. We noticed that the B40Z20 glass composite (contain 20 mol%) has the highest LAC at the four examined energies (0.060, 0.662, 1.173 and 1.333 MeV) since the LAC enhances as the ZnO content increases from 0 to 20 mol%. The based shielding parameters such as HVL and RSE or called radiation shielding efficiency were determined experimentally. The HVL reduces as the glasses' density (or, more accurately, the amount of ZnO) increases. At 0.06 MeV, the HVL have the following values: 0.041, 0.039, 0.038, 0.036 and 0.035 cm for the glasses with density of 3.582, 3.739, 3.897, 4.055 and 4.212 g/cm3 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the physical, optical and mechanical characteristics of BWP glasses. The density and molar mass increase as the WO3 concentration rises, resulting in a denser and more substantial glass sample. However, the molar volume decreases, indicating a reduction in volume due to the increased density caused by WO3. The inclusion of WO3 also leads to a tighter spacing between atoms. The optical basicity of the glass increases with higher WO3 concentrations. The electronegativity decreases, suggesting the glass becomes more electron-donating. The electronic polarizability and cross-link density increase, resulting in a stiffer and more robust glass network. The mechanical moduli, including Young's modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus, and longitudinal modulus, also increase with higher WO3 concentrations, indicating improved mechanical characteristics and reduced deformation. The Poisson's ratio shows a larger transverse deformation tendency with increasing WO3 concentration. Micro-hardness values increase with WO3 content, indicating enhanced durability and mechanical robustness. The mean free path values indicates that the higher WO3 content, or lower P2O5 content, improves the shielding ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of increasing PbO concentration on the Al2O3–PbO–B2O3–SiO2 glasses' physical, mechanical and gamma ray shielding properties. PbO addition leads to higher density and molar mass, making the glass denser. However, molar volume decreases, indicating a more compact structure. Interatomic distances and ion concentration change, strengthening atomic interactions. Oxygen molar volume increases, but packing density drops with more PbO, impacting the glass lattice. Optical basicity rises, suggesting improved electron transport and optical behavior. Electronegativity decreases, and electronic polarizability increases with higher PbO content, rendering the glass more electron-donating and sensitive to external electric fields.This study investigates glass mechanical properties using the Makishima–Mackenzie model. As PbO concentration rises, elastic moduli consistently decrease, signifying increased flexibility in glass structures. The mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) of the chosen glasses were evaluated in the 0.284–1.333 MeV energy range. It was found that increased PbO content leads to a corresponding MAC enhancement. The MAC values at 0.284 MeV were 0.297 and 0.349 cm2/g, while at 0.511 MeV they varied between 0.124 and 0.135 cm2/g. It was found that Glass Pb47.5 sample, which contains a higher amount of PbO compared to the other glasses, had the highest MAC at all energies. The results showed that the PbO has a notable impact on the MAC and thus on the radiation attenuation performance at lower energy. Moreover, increased glass density led to a corresponding LAC increase, which at 0.284 MeV increased from 1.269 cm−1 for Pb32.5 to 1.898 cm−1 for Pb47.5. According to the LAC results, one simple means of enhancing the glasses' radiation shielding properties is utilizing a high PbO percentage. This paper aims to illuminate silicate glasses' radiation shielding abilities. The paper will investigate the efficiency under specific conditions, like high-energy radiation. Moreover, it will explore innovative methods to enhance their shielding competence, concreting the way for a better yet effective radiation shielding approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glasses' density, molar volume, and molecular weight increase with increasing lead concentration for the PbO–Bi2O3–ZnO–B2O3 glasses. The ion concentration and field strength increase with increasing PbO concentration. Changes in the packing density and oxygen molar volume suggest network changes of a structural nature. The increase in optical basicity and decrease in electronegativity values indicate a higher electron-donating tendency of the glasses with increased concentration of PbO, while the increase in electronic polarizability suggests greater distortion susceptibility due to an externally located electric field. Makishima-Mackenzie's theory was used to study the outcome of lead oxide concentration on the glass's mechanical properties. The increase in PbO concentration results in increased network complexity and stiffness, together with elevated dissociation energy. However, this also results in a decrease in packing density and elastic moduli. The Poisson ratio decreases, indicating cross-linking in the glass network, and the fractal bond connectivity parameter indicates a three-dimensional network. The radiation shielding capability has been compared to other glasses as well and it is found that 70PbO–10Bi2O3–10ZnO–10B2O3 sample is a superior choice for radiation shielding glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper comprehensively investigates the oblique propagation of ion-acoustic solitary waves (IASWs) with arbitrary amplitude in a magnetoplasma consisting of inertialess non-Maxwellian (nonthermal) electrons, inertialess Maxwellian positrons, and inertial adiabatically heated ions. It is postulated that the positive ions demonstrate adiabatic behavior that is distinguished by anisotropic thermal pressure. The study utilizes Sagdeev's pseudopotential theory to analyze the fluid equations of the plasma model and reduce them to the energy equation. Different plasma configuration factors, such as nonthermal parameters, positron concentration, and parallel and perpendicular ion pressure, are being studied to see how they affect the properties of solitary waves with large amplitudes. The findings demonstrate the simultaneous coexistence of compressive and rarefactive IASWs, significantly influenced by positrons and nonthermal electron parameters. The study provides valuable insights into wave phenomena in magnetized plasmas and presents possible applications in both Space and laboratory plasma environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A host network of borosilicate glass was produced and reinforced with Bi3+, Ba2+, and Pb2+ ions to be used as protective materials against gamma rays. Four glasses, host 70B2O3–30SiO2 (BSi), 40B2O3–30SiO2–30Bi2O3 (BSiBi), 40B2O3–30SiO2–30BaO (BSiBa), and 40B2O3–30SiO2–30Pb3O4 (BSiPb), were produced. A perfect amorphous structure was observed in X-ray diffraction patterns for all the considered glasses. The structural results showed that BSiBi glass was enriched by non-bridging oxygens NBO units, while BSiBa and BSiPb glasses were enriched by bridging oxygens BO, leading to more tightness of BSiBa and BSiPb glasses than BSiBi. The structural changes clearly reflected on the thermal and optical properties of the considered glasses, where a clear agreement between the network crowding by NBO or BO units and the behavior of the glass transition temperature, band gap, Urbach energy, and refractive index was observed. The considered BSiBi, BSiBa, and BSiPb glasses had thermal stability of 177.931, 264.634, and 231.036 °C and refractive indices of 2.292, 2.225, and 2.175, respectively. From the elasticity point of view and based on the structural changes, the elastic moduli of the BSiBa and BSiPb glasses were consistent with the tightness and formation of BO units, while those of the BSiBi glass were the opposite of what was expected. Bi3+, Ba2+, and Pb2+ enhanced the elastic moduli of the host glass by 70.648–88.042, 119.470–133.114, and 191.773–217.856%. All the considered glasses have high transparency (> 74%). Reinforcing the host glass with Bi3+, Ba2+, and Pb2+ significantly improved its attenuation of 661.64, 1173.23, and 1332.51 keV gamma ray energies. It was found that the BSiBi glass is the best attenuator, followed by BSiPb, but with a very high affinity, while the BSiBa is the least attenuator. For the used gamma rays 661.64, 1173.23, and 1332.51 keV, Bi3+ improved the attenuation ability by 126.087, 134.546, and 115.888%; Ba2+ improved it by 57.764, 69.091, and 63.551%; and Pb2+ by 118.012, 110.909, and 107.477%, respectively. Hence, the suitable thermal, mechanical, optical, and attenuation properties of the BSiBi, BSiBa, and BSiPb glasses open up prospects for them as radiation shields in nuclear fields such as immobilization & disposal of radioactive wastes, radiotherapy rooms, and hot cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonlinear propagation of different types of DANW acoustic dust nonlinear waves has been investigated in a magnetized dusty plasma consisting of negatively charged dust particles, Maxwellian electrons, and ions. Application of the standard reductive perturbation theory is used to derive the corresponding three-dimensional nonlinear a complex Ginzburg–Landau (3D-CGLE) equation which governs the dynamics of the dust-acoustic wave packets. The stationary analytical solutions of the CGLE are numerically analysed where the effect of the physical parameters of the dusty plasma model on the wave's propagation is taken into account. It has been found that there can be a relationship between the appearance of soliton waves and electromagnetic waves, as well as between shock-like waves and periodic travelling waves. Expression of the importance of these findings is the cornerstone of explaining the true relationship between the propagation of nonlinear waves in the physics of space, for example, the Earth's magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed new composites for photons shielding applications. The composite were prepared with epoxy resin, red clay and bismuth oxide nanoparticles (Bi2O3 NPs). In order to establish which ratio of red clay to Bi2O3 NPs provides the best shielding capabilities, several different ratios of red clay to Bi2O3 NPs were tested. The transmission factor (TF) was calculated for two different thicknesses of each sample. From the TF data, we found that epoxy resin materials have a high attenuation capacity at low energy. For ERB-10 sample (40%Epoxy + 50% Red clay + 10% Bi2O3 NPs), the TF values are 52.3% and 14.3% for thicknesses of 0.5 and 1.5 cm (at 0.06 MeV). The composite which contains the maximum amount of Bi2O3 nanoparticles (40%Epoxy + 50% Red clay + 10% Bi2O3 NPs, coded as ERB-30) has lower TF than the other composites. The TF data demonstrated that ERB-30 is capable of producing more effective attenuation from gamma rays. We also determined the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) for the prepared composites and we found that the LAC increases for a given energy in proportion to the Bi2O3 NPs ratio. For the ERB-0 (free Bi2O3 NPs), the LAC at 0.662 MeV is 0.143 cm−1, and it increases to 0.805 cm−1 when 10% of Bi2O3 NPs is added to the epoxy resin composite. The half value layer (HVL) results showed that the thickness necessary to shield that photons to its half intensity can be significantly lowered by increasing the weight fraction of the Bi2O3 NPs in the epoxy resin composite from 0 to 30%. The HVL for ERB-20 and ERB-30 were compared with other materials such as (Epoxy as a matrix material and Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO and ZrO2 as filler oxides in the matrix at 0.662 MeV. The HVL values for ERB-20 and ERB-30 are 4.385 and 3.988 cm and this is lower than all the selected epoxy polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the use of waste granite and tin oxide nanoparticles (SnO 2 NPs) as replacements for sand in mortar composites containing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Hydrated Lime (HL), and Quarry Sand (QS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging revealed an increase in particle distribution between voids in the control mortar, enhancing photon absorption. The density of the prepared mortar samples exhibited a notable increment, with a 2.12–2.30 g/cm3 increase through the inclusion of SnO 2 -NPs. Additionally, the Phy-X software was employed to experimentally measure and theoretically calculate the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), demonstrating a high degree of agreement between the two values. The LAC values were found to increase with the replacement ratio of granite waste and SnO2 nanoparticles, demonstrating the effectiveness of these materials as radiation shielding agents. This study investigates the effect of substituting waste granite and SnO 2 nanoparticles for sand in mortars, resulting in an increase in LAC levels, indicating potential for improved radiation shielding capabilities, although the degree of change in LAC may be energy-dependent. The half value results (HVL) results demonstrated a significant decrease in required material thickness for radiation shielding applications with numerical values of 1.153, 0.734, 0.456, 0.351, and 0.261 cm for the control, Mor-1, Mor-2, Mor-3, and Mor-4 samples, respectively, at an energy of 0.06 MeV. • Waste granite and SnO2 NPs enhance mortar composites for gamma-ray shielding. • Density of mortar samples increased notably with SnO2-NPs inclusion. • Experimental and theoretical LAC values show strong agreement. • Increased LAC with higher ratios of granite waste and SnO2 nanoparticles. • Significant decrease in required thickness for radiation shielding with composite mortars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study's objective is to evaluate an Al 2 O 3 –PbO–B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 –BaO glass system's radiation shielding characteristics. The composition of the glasses is 15Al 2 O 3 –25PbO–(60-x)B 2 O 3 –10SiO 2 –xBaO, with x in the 5–20 mol% range. Experimental results were used to determine the samples' linear attenuation coefficients (LAC), which were then confirmed by Phy-X program. Utilizing narrow beam transmission geometry, the experimental LAC values were determined. According to the results there was high agreement when comparing the theoretical and experimental values. The LAC values were used to calculate the prepared glasses' mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) and other relevant properties. The mean free path (MFP) values of the sample with 5 mol% BaO were 0.079, 2.549, 3.944 and 4.273 cm at 0.0595, 0.662, 1.173, and 1.332 MeV, thus demonstrating that raising the glass system's BaO enhances the prepared glasses' shielding capacity. According to radiation protection efficiency (RPE), the glasses' capacity to shield the photon is enhanced when their BaO content rises. • Study of shielding coefficients against gamma radiation for different glass. • Using the traditional melt quenching procedure. • Linear attenuation coefficient, LAC, values have been determined experimentally. • The sample APBSB-4 exhibits higher values of LAC than the other glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the effect of the particle size range on dimethylpolysiloxane (DMPS) on the attenuation properties was investigated. The control sample was prepared consisting of 50% DMPS+50% Bi 2 O 3 -MPs and referred (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 50m. Microparticles (MPs) were gradually replaced by Nanoparticles (NPs) to fabricate five samples coded by (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 40m10n , (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 30m20n , (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 25m25n , (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 20m30n , (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 10m40n , and (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 50n. The LAC "Linear attenuation coefficient" was determined at different energies including low and high energies for all prepared composites using an experimental gamma ray measurements and acquisition system. The HPGe detector and various point sources (60Co, 137Cs and 241Am) was used in the experimental technique. The LAC of control sample was evaluated by XCOM-software and compared to the experimental values to verify the accuracy of the experimental results. The other attenuator parameters (Half (HVL) and Tenth (TVL) value layer and mean free path (MFP) as well as Radiation shielding efficiency (RSE)) have been calculated. The highest LAC of the prepared polymer composites was (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 25m25n while the lowest LAC observed for control sample (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 50m at all discussed energies. The HVL of (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 25m25n < (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 20m30n < (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 30m20n < (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 10m40n < (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 40m10n < (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 50n < (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 50m at all discussed experimental energies. • The highest LAC of the prepared composites was reported for (DMPS-Bi 2 O 3) 25m25n. • The composite with micro and nano-Bi 2 O 3 has better RSE than that with nano-Bi 2 O 3. • The addition of nano-Bi 2 O 3 to the composite causes a reduction in HVL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For extensive radiation exposure, inventing a novel radiation shielding material is a burning issue at present for the purpose of life saving. Considering this thought, in this study, by adding sundry amounts of Bi2O3 into pure high-density polyethylene (HDPE), six HDPE systems were prepared to evaluate the radiation shielding efficiency. These HDPE systems were HDPEBi-0 (pure HDPE), HDPEBi-10 (10 wt% Bi2O3), HDPEBi-20 (20 wt% Bi2O3−), HDPEBi-30 (30 wt% Bi2O3), HDPEBi-40 (40 wt% Bi2O3), and HDPEBi-50 (50 wt% Bi2O3). The values of the linear attenuation coefficients of the experimental results (calculated in the lab using HPGe) were compared with the theoretical results (obtained using Phy-X software) at 0.060, 0.662, 1.173, and 1.333 MeV energies. To ensure the accurateness of the experimental results, this comparison was made. It was crystal clear that for energy values from 0.06 MeV to 1.333 MeV, all the experimental values were in line with Phy-X software data, which demonstrated the research setup's reliability. Here, the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), and mean free path (MFP) shielding parameters were assessed. At the energy of 1.333 MeV, sample HDPEBi-0 showed an HVL value 1.7 times greater than that of HDPEBi-50, yet it was 23 times greater at 0.0595 MeV. That means that for proper radiation protection, very-low-energy HDPE systems containing 10–50% Bi2O3 could be used; however, the thickness of the HDPE system must be increased according to the energy of incident radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrations of heavy metal oxide i.e. Sb2O3 varying from 10 to 40 mol% (in increments of 10 mol%) were loaded into a 20Na2O–80B2O3 transparent glass system to study the efficacy of Sb2O3 nonlinear optical (NLO) and gamma radiation shielding features of glasses. The NLO characteristics were ascertained by a Z-scan technique with 532 nm pumping in nanosecond laser pulse regime. The role of non-bridging oxygens, Sb3+, and Sb5+ ions in the enhancement of optical nonlinearities was examined. The two-photon absorption coefficient increased from 0.42 to 1.36 cm/GW with the increasing Sb2O3 substitution for B2O3, and the magnitude of optical limiting threshold followed an opposite behavior from 1.5 × 109 to 0.8 × 109 J/cm2. The linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) values at 0.4111 MeV increased from 0.215 cm−1 at 2.28 g/cm3 to 0.379 cm−1 at 3.98 g/cm3. The half-value layers (HVLs) were at a minimum when the energy was at its lowest and at a maximum when the energy was at its highest. The reported HVL trend indicates that the glasses must be as much as thicker to attenuate the same number of photons at higher energy. The NLO and radiation shielding features suggest that the high-Sb2O3 glass can be used to fabricate laser and nuclear radiation protection glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials with ferroelectric properties, low bandgap energies, high polarization, low loss, and thermal stability are essential for future solar-cell applications. Researchers have attempted to obtain such materials by using several approaches. In this vein, a novel approach is reported in this work using gamma ray irradiation. The effect of gamma radiation on the structural, optical, and ferroelectric characterizations of bismuth (Bi)-doped barium titanate (BaTiO3 (BT)), namely Ba0.95Bi0.05TiO3 ceramics (abbreviated as (Bi:BT)), was investigated. X-ray diffraction, structure refinement, and Raman study revealed the presence of a perovskite structure with a tetragonal phase in all investigated samples. Morphological study revealed a nonuniform grain size and some porosity. Gamma irradiation-induced combined effects were proved by a detailed analysis of bond lengths, bond angles, octahedral distortions, oxygen vacancies, and charge compensations. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study gave direct evidence of oxygen vacancies in the irradiated samples. After gamma irradiation, UV–vis study indicated a decrease in the bandgap from 3.14 to 2.80 eV and a significant increase in visible light absorption. Cole–Cole plots confirm as an increase in gamma-ray dose results in higher levels of electron hopping. Study of the P–E hysteresis loop demonstrated that ferroelectric properties could be maintained after gamma irradiation, with a slight decrease in remnant polarization. The behaviour of the P–E was correlated with increasing gamma dose in the investigated ceramics, demonstrating a strong gamma dependence in the loops' profile. We guess that the present approach may be a promising technique for enhancing the multifunctionality of electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three aminobenzoate derivatives, benzocaine (B1), butamben (B2) and n-pentyl 4-aminobenzoate (B3) were analyzed for the structural, nonlinear optical, electronic and biological properties. The functional nature of the compounds were analyzed using vibrational spectra and was compared with the scaled, simulated spectra obtained using density functional theory (DFT) with diffused orbitals. Relaxed potential energy scan predicts the stable conformers. Frontier molecular orbital was found and used to generate some important data pertaining to the reactivity and stability of the molecule. Time dependent DFT was used to model the excitation and de-excitation dynamics of these molecules and to predict the use of these molecules as effective photo sensitizer in DSSC. This work further discusses in detail, Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) study for intra molecular interactions, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) for reactivity preferences and hyperpolarizability calculations for predicting the optical properties. Further molecular docking studies were conducted for the compounds with eye irritation inactive inhibitor (PDBID: 1AUE), prolylaminopeptidase inhibitor (2EEP), 5-O-(4-coumaroyl)-D-quinate 3'-monooxygenase inhibitor (5BST), arginine 2-monooxygenase inhibitor (6DA8) to predict their utility as potential. Surface enhanced Raman spectrum (SERS) is an important tool in analytical chemistry as it can be used for the assay of various compounds. It is found that all the three compounds interact very well with graphene monolayer and behaves uniquely with the scattering of light by providing a measurable enhancement in the Raman activity of the adsorbed systems, making the assay easy for this commonly used class of compounds.B2-graphene complex is found to be more stable with adsorption energy −4.2043 kcal/mol among the three followed by the complexes of B3 (−2.1963) and B1 (−0.8158). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a new composite based on epoxy resin impeded with both micro and nano size of copper oxide (CuO) for photon shielding application were investigated. Four Epoxy-CuO composites were prepared including pure Epoxy resin material, EP-10%CuO m (90% Epoxy +10% CuO-MPs), EP-30%CuO m (70% Epoxy +30% CuO-MPs) and EP-50%CuO m (50% Epoxy +10% CuO-MPs). The same composites were prepared with CuO-nanoparticles (EP-10%CuO n , EP-30%CuO n and EP-50%CuO n) as well as three other composites with micro and nano together (EP-10%CuO m + n , EP-30%CuO m + n and EP-50%CuO m + n). The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was found via the narrow beam technique employing HPGe (high pure Ge) detector at different abroad energies from 0.060 to 1.333 MeV. Comparison of the experimental values with those of micro composites obtained from XCOM software revealed a good agreement. Additional attenuator parameters (half and tenth value layers, mean free path, and transmission factor) have been calculated. The results approved that the composites with varying weight percent of mixture of nano and micro particles of CuO have higher attenuation preference than composites with nano and micro particles, separately at all discussed energies. It was observed that the attenuation preference of EP-50%CuO > EP-30%CuO > EP-10%CuO > Pure Epoxy, in addition to, the LAC of EP-50%CuO m + n > EP-50%CuO n > EP-50%CuO m. • We investigated the influence of micro and nano-CuO on the LAC for new polymers. • The LAC and MAC have been determined in the energy range of 0.060–1.333 MeV. • The sample with micro and nano CuO has higher LAC than that with only micro CuO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Newly developed multi-layered shields based on oxide nanoparticles were fabricated. • The physical properties of the multi-layered shields were determined. • The attenuation properties of the multi-layered shields were determined experimentally. • The experimental method was compared with the XCOM results. We prepared two types of lead-free shielding materials consist of double and triple layered with different thicknesses and reported the radiation shielding performance of the developed concrete samples. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of microcomposites was calculated theoretically by XCOM-software and compared with experimental results and less than 4 % difference was observed at all discussed energies. We measured the half and tenth value layers (HVL and TVL) of the single, double and triple layered samples and evaluated the radiation shielding efficiency (RSE) at different energies. The experimental data showed that the inclusion of nanoparticles into the composites reduced the TVL. The triple layered sample, composed of a 3 cm IM-2 layer, a 15 cm CON-2 layer, and a 2 cm IM-2 layer, exhibited exceptional radiation shielding performance, with an RSE of 97.5 % at 0.662 MeV, and an RSE of approximately 92 % for energies greater than 1 MeV. Comparing our samples to pure lead, we found that our double and triple layered samples could replace lead in practical applications, with the triple layer exhibiting superior performance at energies greater than 0.662 MeV. The RSE of our triple layered sample was 100 % for energies less than 0.06 MeV and 97.5 % at 0.662 MeV, and the RSE of our double layered sample with a thickness of 18 cm was 93.5 % and 92.3 % for energies of 1.173 and 1.33 MeV, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the concentration of PbO in PMZB glasses is increased, the result is an elevated density and a reduced molar volume. As the percentage of PbO in the sample grows, the absorption peak in the optical spectrum has moved towards longer wavelength side. Creating non-bridging oxygens leads to a reduced gap in the band energy. When the content of Pb rises, so do the dielectric and optical dielectric constant values and the refractive index, suggesting an enhanced influence of non-bridging oxygens. The non-metallic character is confirmed by the metallization values, which vary from 0.382 to 0.362. Molar refractivity decreases with PbO content. This study conducted an evaluation of the radiation shielding characteristics in the 0.122–1.46 MeV range. The linear attenuation coefficient varied between 11.073 and 15.161 cm−1 at 0.122 MeV. The PMZBX glasses have lesser absorbing capabilities for high energy photons because of their greater penetration abilities. Thus, the PMZB4 glass, which has the greatest PbO content, shows the most promise out of the tested glasses. • Fabricated highly dense, light yellow, and transparent PMZB glasses. • Optical bandgap energies are found to decrease with PbO content. • PMZB4 glass is the most promised gamma shield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of six samples were prepared based on the chemical composition of 65B2O3 + 20ZnO + (15-x)LiF + xSnO2 (where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, and 1.25 mol%) to study the role of SnO2 on enhancing the optical and radiation attenuation capacity of the prepared glasses. The preparation of the glass series was performed using the melt quenching method at 1100 °C for 60 min. The density of the fabricated samples was measured using an MH-300A densimeter. The optical parameters of the fabricated glasses were calculated based on the spectrum recorded by a Cary 5000 UV–Vis–NIR double beam spectrophotometer in a wavelength range of 200 to 3000 nm. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulation code and the XCOM online database were used to estimate the gamma-ray shielding capacity of the fabricated samples from 0.244 to 2.506 MeV. The results show enhanced gamma-ray shielding capacity due to the replacement of LiF by SnO2. The linear attenuation coefficient at 0.244 MeV was enhanced from 0.352 to 0.389 cm−1. The half-value thickness of the investigated glasses decreased from 1.967 to 1.784 cm when the increasing addition of SnO2 from 0 to 1.25 mol%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of six samples were prepared based on the chemical composition of 65B2O3 + 20ZnO + (15-x)LiF + xSnO2 (where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, and 1.25 mol%) to study the role of SnO2 on enhancing the optical and radiation attenuation capacity of the prepared glasses. The preparation of the glass series was performed using the melt quenching method at 1100 °C for 60 min. The density of the fabricated samples was measured using an MH-300A densimeter. The optical parameters of the fabricated glasses were calculated based on the spectrum recorded by a Cary 5000 UV–Vis–NIR double beam spectrophotometer in a wavelength range of 200 to 3000 nm. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulation code and the XCOM online database were used to estimate the gamma-ray shielding capacity of the fabricated samples from 0.244 to 2.506 MeV. The results show enhanced gamma-ray shielding capacity due to the replacement of LiF by SnO2. The linear attenuation coefficient at 0.244 MeV was enhanced from 0.352 to 0.389 cm−1. The half-value thickness of the investigated glasses decreased from 1.967 to 1.784 cm when the increasing addition of SnO2 from 0 to 1.25 mol%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper studied the (95-y)P2O5–yBi2O3–5Nb2O5 glass systems where y = 10, 12.5, 15, and 17.5 mol% using EPICS2017 data library to understand the radiation shielding characteristics. The investigated glass systems, PNbBi1 to PNbBi4, were evaluated in terms of linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), mean free path (MFP), and effective atomic numbers (Zeff) at the energy levels of 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 keV. According to the theoretical computations, Bi2O3 ensured to improve LAC parameter in all photon energies; hence, PNbBi4 can be regarded as the best. Further, we reported that a nearly 14% increase in glass density leads to improve MAC parameters against ascending photon energies. PNbBi4 can be regarded as the lowest thickness ensuring sample at all photon energies amongst the other samples with respect to HVL and TVL parameters. Moreover, inserting Bi2O3 provided lower MFP thicknesses which in turn develops better radiation shielding characteristics. We found out that Zeff shows an increasing trend as the Bi2O3 increases, but displays a decreasing trend as the photon energy increases. Additionally, a comparison of shielding properties using the EpiXS and Phy-X/PSD has been evaluated. It was figured out that there is a good agreement observed between the results of each library. The results in most energies were found to be in good agreement with low (< 1%) relative differences. Overall, the authors concluded that the Bi2O3-reinforced PNb series can be utilized in X-ray shielding applications with satisfactory performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactors materials are the backbone of reactor life extending and making it safer. Accordingly, unabated research continues for the improvement of nuclear reactor materials, especially the reactor core materials. Hence, in the present article, two developed tungsten/molybdenum stainless steel grades MoW1 (0.843 wt% of Mo and 1.801 wt% of W) and MoW2 (0.251 wt% of Mo and 2.433 wt% of W) were produced. AISI316 standard stainless steel was used as a base material. Microstructural features of the produced alloys were investigated using Schaeffler diagram, optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties of the produced alloys were studied at room temperature RT and elevated temperatures of 300 and 500 °C. W addition by 1.801 wt% at the expense of Mo (MoW1 steel) strengthened yield strength YS and ultimate tensile strength UTS by 42.344% and 32.022% at room temperature compared to the standard stainless steel AISI316, while a high affinity was found between YS and UTS results for steel containing 2.433 wt% of W (MoW2) and the AISI316. On the other hand, the elongation El% of MoW1 decreased by 20.861% and MoW2 by 17.219% compared to the AISI316. At 300 and 500 °C, the MoW1 stainless steel alloy has higher YS (by 4.865% and 7.865%) and UTS (by 17.580% and 41.077%) than AISI316. While, MoW2 has slightly lower YS (by 7.568% and 3.371%) and higher UTS (by 10.046% and 36.261%) than AISI316. Both of MoW1 and MoW2 has much higher El% than AISI316 at both 300 and 500 °C. As a comparison between the developed stainless steel alloys MoW1 and MoW2 for both 300 and 500 °C, MoW1 gave better YS (by 13.450% and 11.628%), UTS (by 6.8465% and 3.534%), and El% (18.3024% and 18.037%) results than MoW2. Accordingly, depending on the distinctive mechanical properties of the developed MoW1 stainless steel alloy at 300 and 500 °C, it is a strong candidate as an appropriate material for high-temperature conditions of the nuclear reactors core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to study the radiation shielding features of TeO2–WO3–RO systems (where RO =PbO and Bi2O3). The glasses were theoretically evaluated by using the simulation code Phy–X/PSD. Four TeO2–WO3–Bi2O3 glasses and three TeO2–WO3–PbO glasses were tested in this study. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), effective atomic number (Zeff), half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP) of the glasses were calculated and analyzed. WTeBi3 and WTeBi4 have the greatest LAC and MAC values at all energies, while WTePb1 had the least LAC and MAC values. At 0.347 MeV, the MAC of the glasses is equal to 0.115 0.117, and 0.107 cm2/g for WTeBi3, WTeBi4, and WTePb1, respectively. The Zeff of the glasses decreased and increased based on the photon interaction phenomena present in low, medium, and high energy ranges. WTeBi2 has the greatest HVL, equal to 2.070 cm and 2.594 cm at 1.333 and 2.506 MeV, respectively, while WTeBi3 has the least, 1.943 cm and 2.532 cm for the same energies, respectively. The TVL values followed the order of WTePb1 < WTePb2 < WTeBi2 < WTePb3 < WTeBi1 < WTeBi3 < WTeBi4 at both the tested energies. The greatest MFPs were observed at the greatest selected energy, 2.506 MeV. The TeO2–WO3–Bi2O3 glasses and TeO2–WO3–PbO glasses were compared against each other and with some other radiation glasses to determine the most effective attenuator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection and qualification process related to impurities assume importance in pharmacological drug development programs, and the present article gives the structural and spectral characterization of sulfone derivatives their self-assembly with graphene sheets theoretically. The investigation of adsorption behavior of sulfone compounds can provide valuable information about its reactivity and electronic and structural properties. Three-dimensional electrostatic potential diagrams were mapped. The frontier orbital energies and energy bandgaps of the molecules were computed. Delocalization of charge density between the bonding or lone pair and antibonding orbitals calculated by NBO analysis. Docking was executed to investigate binding areas of chemical compounds. Bioactivity scores show that the pharmacokinetic and pharmacological properties of the ligands are appropriate leading to be considered potential drug agents. The obtained theoretical wavenumber results of the present study were fully compatible with the experimental results. Graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different mortar samples with marble dust and Zr 2 O 3 nanoparticles were prepared. The radiation attenuation coefficients for the prepared samples were measured experimentally using HPGe detector and three radioactive point sources Co-60, Cs-137 and Am-241. We investigated the transmission factor as a function of the thickness of the mortar and we found that increasing the thickness of the specimens leads to reduce the number of photons that are able to pass through the sample, which results in an improvement in the sample's potential to attenuate radiation. The linear attenuation coefficient is determined and we reported a positive relation between the LAC and the amount of Zr 2 O 3 nanoparticles. While, we reported an inverse relation between the LAC and the energy of the radiation. From the LAC results, we found that the mortars are more effective at attenuating photons of energy<0.662 MeV. For the developed mortars, we evaluated the half value layer (HVL) and the results demonstrated that Mor-1 has the highest HVL, whilst Mor-5 has the lowest HVL. The HVL for Mor-1 is 0.963 cm at 0.060 MeV and 4.06 cm at 0.662 MeV. The HVL decreases with the incorporation of Zr 2 O 3 nanoparticles into the prepared mortar samples. The radiation protection efficiency (RPE) values at 0.060 MeV are 76.3, 81.06, 84.93, 88.06 and 90.56% for Mor-1 to Mor-5. • Newly developed mortars with marble dust and Zr 2 O 3 nanoparticles were fabricated. • TEM and EDX analysis were studied for presented mortar samples. • The radiation shielding features was discussed using an experimental technique. • The HVL decreases with the incorporation of Zr 2 O 3 NPs into the mortar samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the melt-quenching process, thick, transparent, and light yellow PbO–TeO 2 –CdO glasses were fabricated, with sample densities ranging from 5.576 to 6.082 g/cm3. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra showed that the material was amorphous, while Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra demonstrated multiple bond stretching modes and vibrational frequencies. With an increase in the mol% of PbO concentration, the derivative of absorption spectra fitting (DASF) method showed a reduction in the bandgap energies to 3.520 eV, 3.457 eV, 3.433 eV, and 3.394 eV for Pb70, Pb72.5, Pb75, and Pb77.5, respectively. For the Pb70 and Pb77.5 glasses, the transmission factor (TF) decreased with thickness. The Pb77.5 glass had the highest radiation protection efficiency (RPE), with an RPE range of 66–70% for a thickness of 1.25 cm. Moreover, the addition of PbO improved the transparency, density, and gamma-ray shielding abilities of the glasses. • Fabricated highly dense, light yellow, and transparent PbO–TeO2–CdO glasses. • Structural features studied using XRD and FTIR. • Bandgap energy decreases with increasing PbO content. • Pb77.5 glass has highest RPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly dense PbO-TeO 2 -CdO glasses have been fabricated by the melt quenching procedure. The prepared samples are light yellow in colour and are highly transparent. The density of the samples is very high and it lies in the range of 5.576–6.082 g/cm3. The molar volume is showing downtrend from 35.488 to 33.705 cm3 accounting towards the compactness of the samples with addition of PbO. Oxygen packing density increases from 30.996 to 32.637 whereas the oxygen molar volume is decreasing from 32.262 to 30.641 cm3 mol−1 with increase in PbO content. As PbO grows, E's modulus rises from 18.517 to 19.368 GPa, B's from 6.903 to 7.705 GPa, G's from 9.504 to 9.662 GPa, and L's from 19575 to 20.558 GPa. We used the Phy-X software to estimate the radiation shielding properties for the prepared glasses in a wide energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. We reported an enhancement in the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) values when the PbO level increases from 70 to 77.5 mol %, this he highest MAC is found for PTC4, while the lowest MAC is reported for PTC1 sample. The photon energy has an impact on Linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) and the Greatest values of this parameter is reported at 0.015 MeV and equalling 501.64, 521.84, 549.53 and 569.17 cm−1 for the PTC1 to PTC4 glasses. In contrast, the lowest LAC is reported at 15 MeV (in the range of 0.283–0.313 cm−1). According to the LAC, the studied samples are able to attenuate more photons in the low energy region. The effective atomic number (Z eff) is also evaluated and similar to LAC, we found that the Z eff is increased due to the addition of PbO. From the results of different shielding factors, the inclusion of PbO alters the radiation attenuation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eu3+ doped borate based glass embedded with gold nanoparticles were prepared by melt quenching process. • Efficacy of annealing schedule on nonlinear optical properties of glass was studied. • The nonlinear optical properties were assessed by Z-scan technique in near-infrared region in ultrafast regime. • The study instantiate the AU nanoparticles embedded borate glass annealed for 30 h at 450 °C is beneficial for nonlinear photonic, optoelectronic, and optical power limiting applications. In this work, the Eu 2 O 3 doped B 2 O 3 glass specimen embedded with gold nanoparticles (NPs) was designed by the process of melt-quenching and subjected for thermal treatment to understanding the efficacy of thermal dependency on the optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) characteristics. Linear optical studies have revealed a decrease trend in the energy band gap as the function of annealing duration, indicating the increase of non-bridging oxygen concentration in the glass host. The NLO properties were assessed in near-infrared region utilizing 150 fs laser pulses delivered at the rate of 80 MHz. The aperture free Z-scan measurements exhibited an increased nonlinear absorption coefficient with annealing duration. Further, the closed aperture Z-scan data depicted an increase trend in the positive nonlinear refraction with annealing duration and eventually reduced at the greater duration of annealing. The optical limiting studies demonstrated similar behaviour to the nonlinear absorption characteristics of studied glass samples. These results are related to the local field stimulated by surface plasmons of gold NPs near the Eu3+ ions during the exposure of glass to high fluence laser beam. Our results indicate that B 2 O 3 glasses embedded with Au NPs heat-treated for 30 h at 450 °C are good candidates for nonlinear photonic, optoelectronic, and optical power limiting applications in photonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical properties, optical properties, and shielding properties were reported herein by varying the amount of bismuth (III) oxide (Bi 2 O 3) and boron oxide (B 2 O 3) on the PbO-Bi 2 O 3 -CdO- B 2 O 3 glass systems through Melt quenching technique. After altering the amount of Bi 2 O 3 density studied glass systems have varied from 4.3 g/cm3 - 5.7 g/cm3. With the addition of bismuth oxide, the density, molar volume, and oxygen packing density all rise. As bismuth concentration increases, the indirect band gap reduces, indicating structural changes in the glasses. As bismuth concentration rises, so do the refractive index (n), optical dielectric constant, and reflection loss (R L) characteristics. Ionic nature of current samples is supported by the reduction in electronegativity and rise in polarizability, which reduces the band gap. Linear attenuation coefficients (LAC), mass attenuation coefficients (MAC), half value layers (HVL), and mean free path (MFP) were calculated for photon energy range 0.015–15 MeV via exploiting Phy-X software. Containing supreme amount of Bi 2 O 3 (25% mol) studied glass systems have shown higher values of effective atomic number (Z eff), LAC, MAC along with least values of HVL and MFP considering with other studied glass systems. Results showed that deposition of Bi 2 O 3 on the studied glass systems has boosted their shielding ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reported the radiation attenuation ability of Bi 2 O 3 powder in different sizes. We measured the linear attenuation coefficient for the two investigated Bi 2 O 3 samples using a narrow collimated beam method. A HPGe detector was used to report the number of photons that can penetrate the samples and the energies of the photons was selected in the energy range of 0.0595 up to 1.408 MeV. The LAC for the Bi 2 O 3 in micro size is relatively higher than that for the sample with nano- Bi 2 O 3 if the two samples have the same volume, and the difference between the LAC for the two samples is 33.4% at 0.059 MeV, while it is 29.8% at 0.081 MeV. The mass and thickness ((M 1/2 and H 1/2) needed to shield the intensity of the initial photon to its half value were also reported. The results demonstrated that if we have two different sizes of Bi 2 O 3 with the same masses, we need lighter sample of Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles to reduce 50% of the incoming photons in comparison with the micro Bi 2 O 3 • The radiation attenuation ability of Bi 2 O 3 powder in different sizes was reported. • The nano sample has highest attenuation than the micro in all the studied energies. • The LAC is 2.76 cm−1 for SR-micro Bi 2 O 3 and 3.55 cm−1 for SR-nano Bi 2 O 3 at 0.060 MeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt-doped titania nanocomposites were fabricated to be utilized for radiation shielding aims. The chemical composition of the composites was measured using the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Moreover, the structure of the composites was evaluated using the X-ray diffractometer, and the morphology of the fabricated composites was presented using the scanning electron microscope. Furthermore, the γ-ray shielding properties were estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation between 0.059 and 2.506 MeV. The linear attenuation coefficient of the fabricated composites decreased by factors of 93% for all samples by raising the incident γ-energy between 0.059 and 2.506 MeV. Moreover, the partial replacement of the Ti4+ by Co3+ slightly enhanced the linear attenuation coefficient from 0.607 to 0.630 cm−1 when the Co3+ increased from 0 to 3.7 wt%. The improvement in the linear attenuation coefficient causes an enhancement in other radiation shielding properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the mechanical properties and radiation-shielding performance of a lithium zinc bismuth silicate glass system. The composition of these glasses is 20ZnO-30Li2O-(50-x)SiO2-xBi2O3 (x varies between 10 and 40 mol%). The mechanical properties of the investigated glass system, such as Young's modulus (E), bulk modulus (K), shear modulus (S), and longitudinal modulus (L), were determined using the Makishima–Mackenzie model. The elastic moduli gradually decreased with the addition of Bi2O3. E decreased from 46 to 31 GPa, K decreased from 27 to 14 GPa, S decreased from 19 to 14 GPa, and L decreased from 52 to 32 GPa as Bi2O3 was substituted for SiO2. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) was investigated at energies between 0.284 and 1.33 MeV to understand the radiation-shielding performance of the glasses. The MAC value increased when SiO2 was replaced by Bi2O3. We found that the effect of Bi2O3 on MAC values was noticeably stronger at energies of 0.284 and 0.347 MeV, while the effect of Bi2O3 on MAC values became weaker as energy increased. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) results demonstrated that if the samples were exposed to low-energy photons, the glass could prevent the penetration of photons, and thus, the glass samples were effective in radiation protection. The LAC values for the lowest- and highest-density samples changed from 0.998 to 1.976 cm−1 (at 0.284 MeV) and from 0.286 to 0.424 cm−1 (at 0.826 MeV). According to the radiation-shielding results, the thick, high-density glass sample has special and distinctive shielding properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current work, the borate-based glass specimens bearing composition (mol %) 5Na 2 O–10ZnO–10Bi 2 O 3 ‒(75‒ x)B 2 O 3 – x RE (where RE = Er 2 O 3 and Pr 6 O 11 , and x ranges from 0 to 5 mol %) were synthesized by conventional melt-quench method. The effect of rare earth ions concentration on photonic nonlinearities has been explored by the Z-scan method under the pumping of 532 nm in a nanosecond pulse regime. The Z-signatures revealed the occurrence of nonlinear absorption and refraction in the studied glass specimens. The nonlinear optical features were improved with respect to the rare earth concentration. The nonlinear optical features were superior for Er3+ doped glasses compared to Pr3+ doped glasses. This greatness of nonlinear optical features in Er3+ doped glasses was attributed to the existence of a large number of electrons (11 electrons) in the 4 f outer shell compared to those existing in the 4 f outer shell of Pr3+ (2 electrons). The enhancement of nonlinear gap features was also attributed to the creation of non-bridging oxygens in the host network when rare earths are loaded into the composition. The nonlinear photonic outcomes endorse that heavily Er3+ loaded glasses are superior over Pr3+ doped glasses for nonlinear optical device fabrications to work in the visible region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Li 2 O-K 2 O-B 2 O 3 -PbO glass system has been synthesized through the melt quenching technique. The indirect bandgap energies were obtained from the recorded UV–visible spectra. It is confirmed that as the concentration of PbO increases, the indirect bandgap energies increases. While the refractive index, and the optical dielectric constant (p dp dt ) decrease. The reflection loss (R L), as well as optical transmission coefficient (T) of the glasses, follow the opposite trend with PbO content. While the molar refraction (R m) and electronic polarizability (α m) increase, the electronic polarizability (α e) decreases as the mol percentage of PbO rise in the glass matrix. The metallization (M) is <1, hence, the investigated glass samples show non-metallic nature. On the other hand, replacing B 2 O 3 with PbO oxide increases the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) of the samples, which in turn increases their radiation shielding effectiveness. The more B 2 O 3 oxide is replaced with PbO oxide, the greater the effect in elevating their capabilities in shielding radiation especially for low gamma energies. The glass samples under investigation outperformed most of the radiation shields that were previously fabricated. With the increase of PbO levels, the half-value layer reduces due to the rise in the density of the samples. The Pb20 sample had the lowest TVL at all tested energies, demonstrating that it is the most efficient for radiation shielding applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The LiKBPbX glasses have been fabricated with the standard melt quenching methodology. The density and molar volume of glass systems change from 2.2057 g/cm3 to 2.9427 g/cm3 and 70.569–101.283 cm3 respectively with the increase in dopant concentration of PbO mol%. The Oxygen packing density (OPD) of prepared glasses is decreased from 75.01 to 58.108, whereas the optical basicity is increased from 0.668 to 0.772. The oxygen molar volume (OMV) of prepared samples varies from 13.33 cm3 to 17.21 cm3. The XRD spectrum represents two broad humps around 20–300 and 40–500 and absence of any sharp peak confirm that the structures of glasses are amorphous in nature. There are five bands observed in FTIR spectra from 400 to 600, 600–800, 800–1200, 1200–1500 and 1500–1800 cm−1 respectively. These bands are assigned due to the various bending and symmetric as well as asymmetric stretching vibrations of the groups present in the glassy network. The gamma ray shielding behavior has been studied for the energies from 0.015 MeV to 15 MeV. LiKBPb20 glass is the most space-efficient gamma shield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

40PbO + 20ZnO + (40-x) B 2 O 3 + xDy 2 O 3 (where x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt%) glass samples were created via a traditional melt-quenching technique. The degree of structural compactness and the amendment of configurations in the glass network was verified by determining glass density. The linear optical properties of the samples were investigated by measuring U-V optical absorption over a spectral range of 190–900 nm. Both direct and indirect band gaps were found to decrease when the samples were doped with Dy 2 O 3. The Urbach energy (E u) yields increase as the number of doping materials in the samples increases. The gamma-ray shielding capacity of the samples was evaluated using MCNP-5 code. The simulated data found that the highest linear attenuation coefficient was obtained at 0.015 MeV. This attenuation varied between 2.84.43 and 346.33 cm−1 as the ratio of Dy 2 O 3 rose from 0 to 5 wt%, respectively. Shielding factors like the half-value layer, the radiation protection efficiency and the transmission factor increased as more Dy 2 O 3 was introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionizing radiation exposure from medical applications is increasing annually worldwide. It was estimated that 325 million dental procedures were performed in the United States. Radiation exposure from dental radiography consists of intraoral, panoramic, and 3D imaging cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. Recent studies reported an association between dental imaging procedures and increased cancer probability of brain and thyroid. Previous studies showed that some dental imaging practices exposed patients and staff to unnecessary radiation doses due to incorrect image acquisition and insufficient radiation protection measures. This study aims to (i) measure the occupational and patients doses during dental procedures and (ii) assess the current imaging techniques and radiation protection practices. Two hundred fourteen patients were evaluated for periapical, bitewing, cephalometric, occlusal, and panoramic procedures. Organ equivalent doses were quantified for the breast, eye lens, and thyroid gland during CBCT procedure. Occupational and ambient dose assessment were assessed using calibrated thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD-100(LiF: Mg. Ti). Ambient doses were measure at different locations at the department using TLDs. Patients' radiation doses were quantified using kerma area product (PKA (mGy.cm) and the entrance surface air kerma (ESAK (mGy). Fixed tube voltage (65 kVp) and tube current-time product (7 mAs) were used. The overall mean, sd, and range of patients dose values during intraoral (mGy), panoramic and CBCT examinations were 4.6 ± 0.7 (1.4–7.1), 135 ± 45 (75.2–168.5), and 215 ± 165 (186–2115), respectively. The mean and range of the annual occupational doses (mSv) were 1.4 (0.6–3.7), which below the annual dose limits for radiation workers (20 mSv/y). The study showed that inadequate radiation protection for patients existed in terms of the use of the thyroid shield, the technologist's presence inside the room during radiation exposure. Patients' radiation doses were comparable with the international diagnostic reference level (DRL). Staff education and training in radiation protection aspects are highly recommended. • Radiation doses from intraoral, panoramic, and 3D imaging cone-beam computed tomography imaging were quantified. • Ambient and occupational doses were measure at different locations at the department using TLD. • The study showed that inadequate radiation protection for patients existed in terms of the use of the thyroid shield. • CBCT dose values, the patient radiation dose is around two times higher than for a panoramic imaging procedure. • The mean and range of the annual occupational doses (mSv) were below the annual dose limits for radiation workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this investigation is to analyse the radiation shielding features of a SrO–B 2 O 3 –TeO 2 glass system. The glasses have the composition of 10SrO-(90-X)B 2 O 3 -XTeO 2 , where X is equal to 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 mol%. The mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) of the samples were experimentally determined and were validated with results obtained using the Phy-X/PSD software. Narrow beam transmission geometry was utilized to obtain the experimental MAC values. When comparing the experimental and theoretical values, the results were found to strongly agree with each other. Using the MAC values, the linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) of the glasses were determined. The results demonstrated that the LAC values decrease with increasing energy, meaning that the glasses are more effective against lower energy photons. The radiation protection efficiency (RPE) showed that increasing the TeO 2 content in the glasses improves the shielding ability of the glasses. The HVL and MFP were next calculated and the SBT60 sample showed to have the lowest values at all energies, while having the greatest Z eff and N eff. Lastly, the MFP results for the SBT60 glass were compared against other common radiation shields and it was demonstrated that the sample outperformed most of the shields it was compared against. Therefore, it was concluded that the SBT60 glass has great potential as an environmentally friendly shield for radiation applications. • The radiation shielding features of a SrO–B 2 O 3 –TeO 2 glass system have been reported. • The MAC were experimentally determined and were validated with the Phy-X/PSD. • The RPE showed that increasing the TeO 2 content improves the shielding ability. • SBT60 glass has great potential as a shield for radiation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical, optical, and radiation shielding properties of the SrO-SiO 2 -B 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 glass system with varying SrO and BaO compositions were investigated. The optical basicity, oxygen packing density (OPD), and oxygen molar volume (OMV) of the glasses ranges from 0.742 to 0.786, 70.408 to 66.16, and 12.202–15.114 cm3/mol respectively as the mol% concentration of BaO from 0 mol% to 40 mol%. The refractive index (n), dielectric constant (ε) and optical dielectric constant (p dp dt ) decrease sharply as BaO content increases from 0% to 10%, thereafter a slight increment in n, ε, and p dp dt is observed with an increase in BaO content from 10% to 30% and with further increase in BaO content beyond 30% again decrease in the values of n, ε, and p dp dt is observed. The molar refractivity (R m) and molar Polarizibility (α m) are affected by BaO content. In the broader perspective, R m and α m decrease sharply as BaO content increases from 0% to 10%, thereafter a slight increment is observed with an increase in BaO content from 10% to 40%. The metallization criterion (M) and the value of reflection loss (R L) confirm that the present glasses show non-metallic character or insulating in nature. While replacing the composition SrO with BaO improves the glasses' capabilities to shield gamma radiation at low gamma energies (284–826 keV), their shielding capabilities slightly deteriorates at high gamma energies (1173–1333 keV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has been done on the effect of TiO 2 on the physical and optical characteristics of Li 2 O-Li 2 MoO 4 -TiO 2 -P 2 O 5 glasses. With an increase in concentration of TiO 2 , the density values drop from 3.68 g/cm3 to 3.27 g/cm3. With the inclusion of TiO 2 , the current glasses have smaller mean distance between Ti ions and polaron radius. Increasing non-bridging oxygens raise the refractive index, dielectric constant (ε) and optical dielectric constant. Reflection loss and transmission coefficient are found to inversely proportional. The molar refractivity increases from 24.242 to 27.817 (cm3 mol−1) which in turn increases the molar polarizability and electronic polarizability of the system from 9.616 to 11.033 (x 10−24 cm3) and 0.957 – 1.051 (x 1024). The metallization value less than unity predicts non-metallic nature of glasses. The other parameters such as optical electronegativity (χ∗), non-linear refractive index (n 2) and non-linear optical susceptibility (χ3) values decrease from 0.569 to 0.363, 11.860 − 4.367 × 10−15 (esu) and 8.454 – 3.581 × 10−16 with addition of TiO 2. Additionally, the shielding aspects were also explored, as well as the influence of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) on attenuation factors were discussed. The linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) are at their highest values at the low energy and rapidly diminish. The effective atomic number (Z eff) decreases with the energy except at 1.333 and 2.51 MeV, where the Z eff at these two energies increases due to the pair production process. The Ti3 sample has a Z eff of 11.04 at 0.28 MeV, 10.22 at 0.83 MeV and 10.34 at 2.51 MeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ordinary method of melt quenching was utilized to manufacture 55B 2 O 3 – 30Pb 3 O 4 -(15 - x) Al 2 O 3 - xFe 2 O 3 , glasses where x: (0≤x ≤ 5). The amorphous state of this system was investigated using X-ray diffraction. The structure of each sample was examined using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR). As Fe 2 O 3 levels increased, FTIR revealed that connectivity increased, and the FT-IR spectral shifts to higher wavenumbers. The MCNP5 code was utilized to simulate the fabricated glasses' radiation protection parameters. The highest mass attenuation coefficient (μ m) values were observed at 0.015 MeV, varied between 80.67 and 80.918 cm2/g with increasing the Fe 2 O 3 concentration between 0 and 5 mol%, respectively. Moreover, the lowest μ m values achieved glass without Fe 2 O 3 content, reduced from 80.67 to 0.0457 cm2/g between 0.015 and 15 MeV. The effective and equivalent atomic numbers, as well as the buildup factors, were calculated using the BXCOM. • Five glass samples were fabricated as a mixture of B 2 O 3 –Pb 3 O 4 – Al 2 O 3 – Fe 2 O 3. • The density of the fabricated glasses increased with substituting of Al 2 O 3 by Fe 2 O 3. • The Monte Carlo simulation code (MCNP-5) used to evaluate the fabricated glasses' shielding factors. • The mass attenuation coefficient enhanced with the Fe 2 O 3 addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melt quenching method has been utilized to prepare the TeO 2 -CdO-PbO-B 2 O 3 glass system. The optical packing density and the various elastic moduli increase as the as PbO increases from 30 to 40 mol%. The number of bonds per unit volume increases from 8.96 × 1022 cm−3 to 11.91 × 1022 cm−3 as the concentration of PbO increases. The indirect and direct band gap energies decrease from 2.828 to 2.705 eV and 3.112–2.931 eV respectively with increasing mol% of the PbO. The mass attenuation coefficient has been derived using EPICS2017 library. Below 0.284 MeV, the mass attenuation coefficient obtained by EPICS2017 are higher than that determined by Phy-X/PSD by approximately 2.5% for the five glass samples. In contrast, the mass attenuation coefficient determined by Phy-X/PSD are higher than that calculated from EPICS2017 at energies higher than 0.284 MeV, ranging from 0.09% to 0.36%. Moreover, we determined the linear attenuation coefficient and the results showed that the PbB5 glass (with 50 mol% of PbO) has a higher value of this parameter. The effective atomic number values at 122 keV span from 61.06 to 69.98, while at 1458 MeV span from 17.26 to 25.23. The mean free path results proved that the photons with low energy have small penetration ability thus the glasses have a good attenuation performance when exposed to radiation with low energy. For the glass with 30 mol% of PbO (coded as PbB1), the value of mean free path increased from 0.120 cm at 122 keV to 4.305 cm at 1458 keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gamma-ray shielding features of Bi2O3-CaO-K2O-Na2O-P2O5 glass systems were experimentally reported. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) for the fabricated glasses was experimentally measured at seven energy values (between 0.0595 and 1.33 MeV). The compatibility between the practical and theoretical results shows the accuracy of the results obtained in the laboratory for determining the MAC of the prepared samples. The mass and linear attenuation coefficients (MACs) increase with the addition of Bi2O3 and A4 glass possesses the highest MAC and LAC. A downward trend in the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) with increasing the energy from 0.0595 to 1.33 MeV is found. The highest LAC is found at 1.33 MeV (in the range of 0.092–0.143 cm−1). The effective atomic number (Zeff) follows the order B1 > A1 > A2 > A3 > A4. This order emphasizes that increasing the content of Bi2O3 has a positive effect on the photon shielding proficiencies owing to the higher density of Bi2O3 compared with Na2O. The half value layer (HVL) is also determined and the HVL for the tested glasses is computed between 0.106 and 0.958 cm at 0.0595 MeV. The glass with 10 mol% of Bi2O3 has lower HVL than the glasses with 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 mol% of Bi2O3. So, the A4 glass needs a smaller thickness than the other glasses to shield the same radiation. As a result of the reported shielding parameters, inserting B2O3 provides lower values of these three parameters, which in turn leads to the development of superior photons shields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Makishema–Mackenzie model assumption, the dissociation energy and packing density for a quaternary TeO2-As2O3-B2O3-Li2O glass system were evaluated. The dissociation energy rose from 67.07 to 71.85 kJ/cm3, whereas the packing factor decreased from 16.55 to 15.21 cm3/mol associated with the replacement of TeO2 by LiO2 compounds. Thus, as a result, the elastic moduli (longitudinal, shear, Young, and bulk) were enhanced by increasing the LiO2 insertion. Based on the estimated elastic moduli, mechanical properties such as the Poisson ratio, microhardness, longitudinal velocity, shear velocity, and softening temperature were evaluated for the investigated glass samples. In order to evaluate the studied glasses' gamma-ray shield capacity, the MCNP-5 code, as well as a theoretical Phy-X/PSD program, were applied. The best shielding capacity was achieved for the glass system containing 25 mol% of TeO2, while the lowest ability was obtained for the glass sample with a TeO2 concentration of 5 mol%. Furthermore, a correlation between the studied glasses' microhardness and linear attenuation coefficient was performed versus the LiO2 concentration to select the glass sample which possesses a suitable mechanical and shielding capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiation shielding competence was examined for a binary glass system xLa2O3 + (1 − x) TeO2 where x = 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 mol% using MCNP-5 code. The linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) of the glasses were evaluated, and it was found that LT20 glass has the greatest LAC, while LT5 had the least LAC. The transmission factor (TF) of the glasses was evaluated against thicknesses at various selected energies and was observed to greatly decrease with increasing thickness; for example, at 1.332 MeV, the TF of the LT5 glass decreased from 0.76 to 0.25 as the thickness increased from 1 to 5 cm. The equivalent atomic number (Zeq) of the glasses gradually increased with increasing photon energy above 0.1 MeV, with the maximum values observed at around 1 MeV. The buildup factors were determined to evaluate the accumulation of photon flux, and it was found that the maximum values for both can be seen at around 0.8 MeV. This research concluded that LT20 has the greatest potential in radiation shielding applications out of the investigated glasses due to the glass having the most desirable parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Makishima and Mackenzie model has been used to determine the mechanical properties of the PbO-WO3-Na2O-MgO-B2O3 glass system. The number of bonds per unit volume of the glasses (nb) increases from 9.40 × 1022 to 10.09 × 1022 cm−3 as the PbO content increases from 30 to 50 mol%. The Poisson's ratio (σ) for the examined glasses falls between 0.174 and 0.210. The value of the fractal bond connectivity (d) for the present glasses ranges from 3.08 to 3.59. Gamma photon and fast neutron shielding parameters were evaluated via Phy-X/PSD, while that of electrons were calculated via the ESTAR platform. Analysis of the parameters showed that both photon and electron attenuation ability improve with the PbO content. The fast neutron removal cross section of the glasses varies from 0.094–0.102 cm−1 as PbO molar content reduced from 50–30 mol%. Further analysis of shielding parameters of the investigated glass system showed that they possess good potential to function in radiation protection applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluated the radiation shielding features of different 19 alloy samples utilizing the EPICS2017 library for cross section interpolation. The alloys include the ternary Fe, Cr, and Ni based alloys, nickel silver alloys, ternary Cu, Zn, Pb based alloys, and four binary Ag/Cu, Ag/Cu, Pd/Cr and Pd/Cu based alloys. Comparative results were provided by the XCOM and several experimental and Monte Carlo based values in literature. All results described a decreasing trend of mass attenuation coefficient with increasing photon energy. A good agreement was obtained among EPICS2017, MCNPX and experiments. The strongest agreement was obtained between EPICS2017 and XCOM with relative differences between 0.00 and 0.36%. The obtained results highlight the capability of EPICS2017 as a new and accurate theoretical method for future radiation shielding research and development of alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been identified as a deadly pandemic. The genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 is performed using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique for identifying viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in infected patients. However, the RT-PCR diagnostic technique is manually laborious and expensive; therefore, it is not readily accessible in every laboratory. Methodological simplification is crucial to combat the ongoing pandemic by introducing quick, efficient, and affordable diagnostic methods. Here, we report how microcantilever sensors offer promising opportunities for rapid COVID-19 detection. Our first attempt was to capture the single-stranded complementary DNA of SARS-CoV-2 through DNA hybridization. Therefore, the microcantilever surface was immobilized with an oligonucleotide probe and detected using complementary target DNA hybridization by a shift in microcantilever resonance frequency. Our results show that microcantilever sensors can discriminate between complementary and noncomplementary target DNA on a micro to nanoscale. Additionally, the microcantilever sensors' aptitude toward partial complementary DNA determines their potential to identify new variants of coronavirus. Therefore, microcantilever sensing could be a vital tool in the effort to extinguish the spreading COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geant4 simulation was applied to correct the coincidence summing (CS) effect in detecting a volumetric γ-ray sources, and this technique was applied to a152Eu standard sources. The radioactive sources were a liquid cylindrical, rectangular, and Marinelli beaker shapes of different volume for each one. Radionuclide track (RT) including coincidence summing and monoenergetic track without coincidence summing. The results obtained from two approaches compared with the experimental data and the modified KORSUM code for cylindrical γ-ray source. The comparison showed that the adopted method in this investigation is useful for coincidence summing corrections for a voluminous γ-ray sources.Moreover, this technique requires far less computation time than the techniques that depend on the calculation of total efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to identify the radiation shielding capability of ceramics adding CuO, CdO, and Bi2O3 with diverse wt (%). The chemical compositions of the raw ceramics were documented through Energy Dispersive X-ray "EDX" techniques. For aesthetic appeal and solidification, CuO has been chosen to be added to ceramic. Moreover, in the interest of increasing the radiation shielding ability, the high atomic number and density of both CdO and Bi2O3 were suggested for the raw ceramics. To obtain the morphological features of the prepared ceramic samples, a Scanning Electron Microscope, or SEM, was utilized. To verify the experimental results, the MCA value obtained from the Phy-X software was compared to the experimental value collected from the HPGe detector. At energies 0.06 MeV, 0.662 MeV, 1.173 MeV, and 1.333 MeV the linear and mass attenuation coefficients of the prepared ceramics have been measured using a high purity germanium "HPGe" detector as well as three different point sources. Moreover, the relationship between ln(I) and the thickness of the ceramics has been presented here, and the comparison between the LAC of the prepared ceramics with other materials has also been displayed. Bentonite ceramic containing CuO (15 mol %)-CdO (15 mol %)-Bi2O3 (20 mol %) with density 3.6 showed the lowest HVL, MFP, and TVL at all studied energies, yet pure Bentonite ceramic containing only CuO (50 mol %), having density 3.4, presented the greatest values. Hence, it can be concluded that the addition of CdO and Bi2O3 enhances the radiation shielding ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]