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The present work novelty pointed to fabricate new clay bricks doped with heavy minerals to be used in the building materials as a candidate for radiation shielding. The bricks were manufactured as (y) Iron mineral + (1-y) clay , where y = 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 fractional weight. The prepared bricks' chemical composition and density were introduced to the MCNP-5 code to assess the prepared bricks' protection capacity. The simulated linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) was confirmed by comparing the simulated results with those calculated by the Phy-X/PSD program. We found that the simulated and calculated LAC were close together. The diff (%) between the MCNP-5 and Phy-X/PSD is in the range ±2% for all the fabricated bricks. The maximum LAC values occurred at 0.015 MeV, varied between 21.540 and 39.553 cm -1 for bricks N0 and N30. The lowest LAC achieved at 15 MeV varied between 0.068 and 0.090 cm -1 . Bricks without heavy mineral addition have the lowest LAC values at all energies, ranging from 21.540 cm -1 to 0.068 cm -1 , while bricks with 30 wt% heavy minerals have the highest LAC. The half-value layer (HVL) values decreased gradually with increasing the mineral ratio in the fabricated bricks. The thinner brick HVL achieved for the sample N 30 with 30 wt % heavy mineral, growing from 0.017 to 7.675 cm. The effective atomic number (Z eff ) was reported, and we found that the minimum Z eff values equal to 14.006, 14.865, 15.705, and 16.394 for bricks N 0, N 10, N 20, N 30, respectively., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Epoxy resins with varying amounts of MoO3 were theoretically investigated for their radiation shielding ability at low energies (between 0.0395 and 0.344 MeV). The quantity of MoO3 varied from 0 to 30%, and relevant shielding parameters were obtained and analyzed from Phy-X software. The half value layer (HVL) of the resins demonstrated that increasing MoO3 content improved the space-efficiency of the prepared samples at all tested energies, leading to the Mo4 sample, the epoxy resin with the greatest MoO3 content having the smallest HVL. Additionally, the mean free path of the materials has an inverse relationship with their density, which increased with additional MoO3. The tenth value layer ratio between Mo1 and Mo4 illustrated how the introduction of Mo has a much greater effect on thickness reduction at lower energies than at higher energies due to photoelectric phenomena. The Z eff and N eff parameters showed how the epoxy samples benefitted from the introduction of MoO3 at different energies.

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]

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]

Silicone rubbers are a good choice for shielding materials because of having elastic and attenuating properties as well as cost-effectiveness. Thus, the aim of this study was to prepare ground-breaking silicone rubber samples by adding WO3-nanoparticles and testing the performance of their radiation shielding ability against Cs-137, Co-60, and Am-241 gamma energy. Increasing the concentration of WO3 nanoparticles in silicone rubber (SR) led to decreasing the half-value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) values determined for the samples tested. Furthermore, the values of MFP and HVL upsurged according to the enhancement of the photon energy. It is noteworthy that the prepared silicone rubber (SR) systems with 50 and 60 wt% concentrations of WO3-nanoparticles displayed lower HVL than the Bi2O3-containing silicone rubber (SR) systems. In the same way, studied silicone rubber SR-W60 represented the lowest HVL comprising iron ore containing silicone rubber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we examined novel polymer composites for use in radiation protection applications. These prepared polymers are non-toxic compared with lead and show potential to be used as protective gear in different medical applications where low-energy photons are utilized. We prepared silicon rubber (SR) with different concentrations of micro- and nano-sized MgO. We used a HPGe detector to measure radiation attenuation factors at different photon energies, ranging from 59.6 to 1333 keV. We reported the effect of particle size on the attenuation parameters and found that the linear attenuation factors for SR with nano-MgO were higher than for SR with micro-MgO. The mean free path (MFP) for pure SR and SR with micro- and nano-sized MgO were determined, and we found that silicon rubber with MgO (both micro- and nano-sized) has a lower MFP than pure SR. The linear attenuation coefficient results show the importance of using SR with high MgO content for low-energy radiation protection applications. Moreover, the half-value layer (HVL) results demonstrate that we need a certain thickness of SR with nano-MgO to effectively reduce the intensity of the low-energy photons. [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]

This research work aims to investigate the radiation shielding ability of a Yb3+-doped calcium borotellurite glass system. The system has the basic composition of CaF2–CaO–B2O3–TeO2–Yb2O3 but is denoted as TeBYbn for simplicity. The effect of increasing the TeO2 content in the glasses from 10 to 54 mol% was investigated, with five different chosen compositions and densities. The Phy-X/PSD program was used to investigate the mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ) of the samples. The mass attenuation coefficients were theoretically determined by using an online software for the calculation of shielding parameters. Other parameters were then calculated and analyzed, such as the linear attenuation coefficient (µ), transmission factor (TF), radiation protection efficiency (RPE), effective atomic number (Zeff), and mean free path (MFP). TeBYb5, the glass with the greatest TeO2 content, was shown to have the greatest µ/ρ; however, at greater energies, the differences between the values are practically negligible. µ was shown to increase with density, such as from 0.386 cm−1 to 0.687 cm−1 for TeBYb1 and TeBYb5 at 0.284 MeV, respectively. The least TF was found for samples with a thickness of 1.5 cm, proving an inverse correlation between the thickness of the sample and the TF. The HVL and TVL of the glasses decreased as the density of the samples increased, which means that TeBYb1 is the least effective out of the investigated glasses. The five samples proved to have a lower MFP than some other shielding glasses, demonstrating their capabilities as radiation shields. Based on the calculated parameters, TeBYb5 indicated the greatest photon attenuation ability. [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]

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]

The current study aims to enhance the efficiency of lead-free glass as a shielding material against radiation, solve the problem of the dark brown of bismuth glass, and reduce the accumulation of waste glass disposed in landfills by using soda-lime-silica SLS glass waste. The melt-quenching method was utilized to fabricate (WO 3 ) x [(Bi 2 O 3 ) 0.2 (ZnO) 0.3 (B 2 O 3 ) 0.2 (SLS) 0.3 ] 1 − x at 1200 °C, where x = (0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.05 mol). Soda lime silica SLS glass waste, which is mostly composed of 74.1 % SiO 2 , was used to obtain SiO 2 . Radiation Attenuation parameters were investigated using narrow-beam geometry and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Furthermore, the parameters related to radiation shielding were calculated. The results showed that when WO 3 concentration was increased, the half-value layer was reduced, whereas the μ increased. It could be concluded that WBiBZn-SLS glass is a good shielding material against radiation, nontoxic, and transparent to visible light. [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 gamma radiation shielding ability for CaO-K2O-Na2O-P2O5 glasses were experimentally determined between 0.0595 and 1.41 MeV. The experimental MAC results were compared with theoretical results obtained from the XCOM software to test the accuracy of the experimental values. Additionally, the effect of increasing the P2O5 in the glass composition, or reducing the Na2O content, was evaluated at varying energies. For the fabricated glasses, the experimental data strongly agreed with the XCOM results. The effective atomic number (Zeff) of the fabricated glasses was also determined. The Zeff values start out at their maximum (12.41–12.55) at the lowest tested energy, 0.0595 MeV, and decrease to 10.69–10.80 at 0.245 MeV. As energy further increases, the Zeff values remain almost constant between 0.344 and 1.41 MeV. The mean free path (MFP) of the fabricated glasses is investigated and we found that the lowest MFP value occurs at the lowest tested energy, 0.0595 MeV, and lies within the range of 1.382–1.486 cm, while the greatest MFP can be found at the highest tested energy, 1.41 MeV, within the range of 8.121–8.656 cm. At all energies, the KCNP40 sample has the lowest MFP, while the KCNP60 sample has the greatest. The half value layer (HVL) for the KCNP-X glasses is determined. For all the selected energies, the HVL values follow the order of KCNP40 < KCNP45 < KCNP50 < KCNP55 < KCNP60. The HVL of the KCNP50 sample increased from 0.996 to 2.663, 3.392, 4.351, and 5.169 cm for energies of 0.0595, 0.245, 0.444, 0.779, and 1.11 MeV, respectively. The radiation protection efficiency (RPE) results reveal that decreasing the P2O5 content in the glasses improves the radiation shielding ability of the samples. Thus, the KCNP40 sample has the best potential for photon attenuation applications. [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]

The mechanical and radiation shielding features were reported for a quaternary Na2O-CaO-SiO2-TiO2 glass system used in radiation protection. The fundamentals of the Makishima–Mazinize model were applied to evaluate the elastic moduli of the glass samples. The elastic moduli, dissociation energy, and packing density increased as TiO2 increased. The glasses' dissociation energy increased from 62.82 to 65.33 kJ/cm3, while the packing factor slightly increased between 12.97 and 13.00 as the TiO2 content increased. The MCNP-5 code was used to evaluate the gamma-ray shielding properties. The best linear attenuation coefficient was achieved for glass samples with a TiO2 content of 9 mol%: the coefficient decreased from 5.20 to 0.14 cm−1 as the photon energy increased from 0.015 to 15 MeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to avoid contaminating the environment with some chemical compounds produced as a washing product after zirconium mineral digestion. Then, using the Na 2 SiO 2 obtained from the digestion process and other chemicals, two useful composites were created. These composites are glass powders doped by less than 12% Lead dinitrate (Pb(NO₃)₂). The structure and elemental chemical composition of the fabricated composites were investigated using the XRD diffractometer and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The γ-photon shielding capacity of the synthesis's composites was simulated using the Monte Carlo simulation code. According to the findings of the simulation, at a -ray energy of 0.033 MeV, the linear attenuation coefficient is 8.81 and 5.55 cm−1 for the synthesized composite materials with Pb concentration of 7.59 and 11.65 wt%. Additionally, the linear attenuation coefficient values at 1408 MeV for the synthesized composite materials were reduced to 0.142 cm−1 and 0.123 cm−1. • Two glass powder composites were synthesized based on the Na2SiO2 produced. • The XRD and EDX were used to discover the structure of the fabricated composites. • The γ-ray shielding capacity was evaluated using the Monte Carlo simulation. • The γ-ray shielding capacities were enhanced with enrichment of the lead dinitrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of neodymium and lanthanum on zirconia radiation shielding and structural properties. To achieve this, new La/Nd-doped ZrO 2 nanomaterials were synthesized and analyzed via various experimental techniques, including energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, to determine the fabricated materials' structure, chemical composition, and morphology. Additionally, to enable the estimation of the effect of the ZrO 2 phase transition on the synthesized La/Nd-doped ZrO 2 nanomaterials' γ-ray shielding properties, Monte Carlo simulation was used. The simulated data revealed that the fabricated materials' linear attenuation coefficient decreased slightly from 17.584 cm−1–17.442 cm−1 at 0.059 MeV, from 0.382 cm−1 to 0.375 cm−1 at 0.662 MeV, from 0.253 cm−1 to 0.248 cm−1 at 1.408 MeV, and from 0.180 cm−1 to 0.176 cm−1 at 15 MeV with decrease of the fraction of the tetragonal phase from 84 % to 57 %. The reduction in the linear attenuation coefficient is associated with increased thickness in terms of the fabricated materials' Pb equivalent and half values. • Neodymium–Lanthanum nanocomposite with doped zirconia synthesized. • XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDX characterization of the composites. • Monte Carlo simulation for estimating attenuation capacity. • Significant enhancement in γ-photon shielding properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the role of Neodymium (III) nitrate hexahydrate [Nd (NO 3) 2 ] and lanthanum nitrate hexahydrate [La (NO 3) 3 ·6H 2 O] on the structural and radiation shielding properties of zircon mineral was examined. Therefore, a new La/Nb-doped ZrO 2 nanocomposite was fabricated. Various experimental techniques such as energy-dispersive X-ray, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction pattern were utilized to discover the structure and chemical composition, as well as the morphology of the fabricated La/Nb-doped ZrO 2 nanocomposites. Additionally, for the estimation of the fabricated composites' γ-ray shielding properties, Monte Carlo simulation was employed. Among low and intermediate γ-photon energy, the study affirmed a good shielding characteristic for the fabricated composites, where the linear attenuation coefficient reduced from 245.64 to 0.21 cm−1 when the γ-photon energy was raised respectively from 0.022 to 2.506 MeV. Compared to pure lead, the fabricated composites showed good shielding properties, where the shielding capacity reached 30–50% of the pure lead element in the 0.244–2.506 MeV intermediate energy interval. • Novel Nd/La-doped zirconia nanocomposite synthesized. • Characterization through XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDX. • Monte Carlo simulation estimated material's attenuation capacity. • Significant shielding enhancement for γ-photon energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an HPGe detector and multiradioactive point source (60Co, 133Ba, 137Cs, and 241Am), the photon attenuation properties of 40P 2 O 5 –20CaO–10K 2 O-(30-x)Na 2 O-xPbO (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mol%) glasses were experimentally tested. The practical findings matched the theoretical results from the online XCOM program extremely well. It was shown that the linear attenuation coefficient may be utilized to assess the efficacy of photon protection as well as the effective atomic number, half-value layer, mean free pass, transmission factor, and radiation protection efficiency parameters. The chemical compositions of the glass system and the incident energies of the radiation source influenced all these factors. At low energies, the photon protection efficiency of the PCNKPb20 and PCNKPb15 samples was approximately 100%. Thus, these samples could block nearly all the low-energy radiation directed at them. The shielding competence was also compared to other recently reported commercial glasses. This shows that the PCNKPb20 glass can be an effective barrier against X-ray or gamma-ray radiation. • The photon attenuation properties of P 2 O 5 –CaO–K 2 O–Na 2 O–PbO glasses were reported. • As energy levels rise, the shielding capacity of the glasses decreases. • The HVL for PCNKPb20 and PCNKPb0 at 0.0595 MeV are 0.099 and 0.958 cm. • PCNKPb20 glass can be an effective barrier against gamma-ray radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]