Investigation of gamma-ray and neutron protection competence of oxyfluoride aluminosilicate glasses reinforced with TbF3: Comparative study

The glass systems with compositions of 55SiO2–20Al2O3–15BaF2–10NaF-xTbF3: X = 0.0 (Tb-0.0), 2.0 (Tb-2.0), 4.0 (Tb-4.0), 6.0 (Tb-6.0), and 8.0 (Tb-8.0) mol%. The glass structures that were investigated provide protection against gamma-ray and neutron. The density of the glasses increased linearly from 2.90 to 3.47 g cm−3 when TbF3 added to the mixture. For the purpose of conducting a theoretical analysis of photon energies up to 15 MeV, the Monte Carlo algorithm and Phy-X/PSD were brought into play. The parameters of nuclear radiation shielding for the glasses that were investigated were evaluated in this study. The difference between the Monte Carlo simulations and the Phy-X/PSD data was 2.541%. In terms of linear attenuation coefficient (μ), effective atomic number (Zef), half-value layer (HVl), tenth value layer (TVl), and mean free path (MFp) values, the Tb-8.0 glass specimen demonstrates optimal performance. Additionally, the Tb-8.0 possesses the highest values for the fast removal cross-section. The findings presented here provide further evidence that terbium(III) fluoride-doped materials are effective in providing protection against gamma rays. These materials have the potential to be utilized in a wide range of radiation protection applications, particularly in the medical and nuclear fields. •Oxyfluoride aluminosilicate glasses reinforced with TbF3 were selected.•γ-ray shielding parameters were evaluated.•Tb-8.0 possesses the highest values for the ΣR.•Suggested glasses can be applied in neutron and radiation protection applications.