Borax effect on gamma and neutron shielding features of lithium borate glasses: an experimental and Monte Carlo studies

In this work, lithium borate glasses, with (Li2B4O7)(100-x)(Borax)x (x=0,10,20,30,40 wt%) compositions, were prepared with melt quenching technique for investigating their radiation shielding properties. The molar mass, molar volume and density of the glasses were obtained via experimental methods. XRD spectra were acquired to control amorphous structures of the prepared glasses. The mass attenuation coefficient (mu(rho)) for the glasses was measured experimentally at photon energy range between 81 to 383 keV using Ba-133 radioactive point source. The results were compared with the values obtained from MCNPX and WinXCOM programs. It is seen that, the experimental results were in good agreement with findings from MCNPX and WinXCOM programs. The outcomes showed that mass attenuation coefficient, mu(rho), and the effective atomic number, Z(eff), rise with increasing doping rate of borax from 0 to 40% mol. Additionally, it was observed that half value layer (HVL) values of the glasses decreases with increasing borax ratio. Finally, the neutron attenuation skills of the glasses were evaluated by examining the neutron transmission factor and effective removal cross section (Sigma R) parameters. The presence of elements such as H and B in the content of borax mineral significantly increased the Sigma R values of the glasses as expected.