In-Silico Monte Carlo Simulation Trials for Investigation of V2O5 Reinforcement Effect on Ternary Zinc Borate Glasses: Nuclear Radiation Shielding Dynamics

Huseyin O Tekin; Shams A M Issa; Gokhan Kilic; Hesham M H Zakaly; Mohamed M Abuzaid; Nevzat Tarhan; Khatar Alshammari; Hj Ab Aziz Sidek; Khamirul A Matori; Mohd H M Zaid

doi:10.3390/ma14051158

In-Silico Monte Carlo Simulation Trials for Investigation of V₂O₅ Reinforcement Effect on Ternary Zinc Borate Glasses: Nuclear Radiation Shielding Dynamics

Materials (Basel). 2021 Mar 1;14(5):1158. doi: 10.3390/ma14051158.

Authors

Huseyin O Tekin^{1

2}, Shams A M Issa^{3

4}, Gokhan Kilic⁵, Hesham M H Zakaly^{3

6}, Mohamed M Abuzaid¹, Nevzat Tarhan^{2

7}, Khatar Alshammari^{8

9}, Hj Ab Aziz Sidek¹⁰, Khamirul A Matori¹⁰, Mohd H M Zaid¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Medical Diagnostic Imaging Department, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
² Medical Radiation Research Center (USMERA), Uskudar University, 34672 Istanbul, Turkey.
³ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71524, Egypt.
⁴ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71451, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Physics, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, 26040 Eskisehir, Turkey.
⁶ Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, 620000 Ekaterinburg, Russia.
⁷ NP Istanbul Brain Hospital, 34768 Istanbul, Turkey.
⁸ Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Northern Border University, Turaif 75311, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE2 4HH, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Physics, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.

Abstract

In the current study, promising glass composites based on vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅)-doped zinc borate (ZnB) were investigated in terms of their nuclear-radiation-shielding dynamics. The mass and linear attenuation coefficient, half-value layer, mean free path, tenth-value layer, effective atomic number, exposure-buildup factor, and energy-absorption-buildup factor were deeply simulated by using MCNPX code, Phy-X PSD code, and WinXcom to study the validation of ZBV1, ZBV2, ZBV3, and ZBV4 based on (100-x)(0.6ZnO-0.4B₂O₃)(x)(V₂O₅) (x = 1, 2, 3, 4 mol%) samples against ionizing radiation. The results showed that attenuation competencies of the studied glasses slightly changed while increasing the V₂O₅ content from 1 mol% to 4 mol%. The domination of ZnO concentration in the composition compared to B₂O₃ makes ZnO substitution with V₂O₅ more dominant, leading to a decrease in density. Since density has a significant role in the attenuation of gamma rays, a negative effect was observed. It can be concluded that the aforementioned substitution can negatively affect the shielding competencies of studied glasses.

Keywords: Monte Carlo simulation; radiation shielding dynamics; ternary zinc borate; vanadium pentoxide.