Abstract
In this paper, the investigation of the Electron-Photon Interaction Cross Sections 2017 (EPICS2017) library on the shielding properties of several ceramics is presented. The EPICS2017 library was used to calculate the mass attenuation coefficients of different ceramic samples. The results from EPICS2017 were compared with values from several experimental and theoretical methods used in characterizing the photon shielding properties. The experimental mass attenuation coefficient values agreed well with the EPICS2017 evaluations, with relative differences ranging from 0.04–6.58%. The mass attenuation coefficient values derived using MCNP5 simulations agreed with EPICS2017 with a reasonable deviation. XCOM values for mass attenuation coefficients strongly agreed with EPICS2017. The obtained results dictate that EPICS2017 can be used to evaluate the MACs for ceramic systems for which no experimental values are available at various energies. From these findings, the EPICS2017 library can be an important alternative for the future photon shielding research and development of ceramic materials.