Abstract
In this work, we studied the influence of ZnO in a TeO2-ZnO-Fe2O3 glass system on the gamma radiation shielding properties using Phy-X software between 0.284 and 2.506 MeV photon energies. The glass with the highest ZnO content exhibited the highest linear attenuation coefficient (LAC). The effective atomic number (Zeff) of the glasses at 0.284 MeV was in the range of 26.72–29.06, and in the range of 21.79–23.65 at 0.662 MeV. The glass with 80 and 20 mol% of TeO2 and ZnO, respectively, had the maximum Zeff, while the ZnO-free glass possessed the lowest Zeff. The half-value layer (HVL) showed a direct relation with energy, implying that the thickness of the glass is increased to attenuate the photons with high energy. The glass with the highest ZnO content also had the lowest HVL. From the tenth value layer (TVL), we found that a thin glass can effectively be used to shield the low-energy radiation; however, if the energy of the radiation is increased, then a thick sample must be used to provide safe protection. In addition, we compared the radiation attenuation competence of this glass system with other glasses at 0.662 MeV in terms of LAC and mean free path (MFP). The TeO2-ZnO-Fe2O3 glass system exhibited radiation shielding characteristics that were comparable to those of some heavy metal oxide-doped glasses.