Radiation shielding characterization of a Yb:CaBTeX glass system as a function of TeO₂ concentration

The objective of this study is to use Phy-X/PSD computer software between 0.284 and 1.33 MeV to examine the impact of increasing TeO₂ mol% on the radiation shielding properties of Yb³⁺-doped Calcium Borotelurite glasses with the formula CaF₂-CaO-B₂O₃-TeO₂-Yb₂O₃. For the investigated samples, the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) at 0.284 MeV ranges between 0.126 and 0.154 cm²/g. The range of the MAC for the samples under investigation at 0.347 MeV is 0.109–0.123 cm²/g. The glass with a composition of 10CaF₂-7.9CaO-27.6B₂O₃-54TeO₂-0.5Yb₂O₃ has the largest MAC. The results also showed that the effective atomic number (Z_eff) is increased by the addition of TeO₂, and the glasses with 10 and 54 mol% of TeO₂ had the lowest and highest Z_eff. The half value layer (HVL) decreased as energy increased from 0.284 to 1.33 MeV, and the lowest HVL is observed at 0.284 MeV for the sample Te54, which is equal to 3.068 cm, as opposed to Te10, which has an HVL of 4.235 cm. Additionally, we assessed the tenth value layer (TVL) for the current system and observed that TVL decreases as TeO₂ content increases. Te54, a sample with 54 mol% of TeO₂, has the lowest TVL value and, as a result, exhibits the best radiation attenuation performance when compared to other chosen glasses. We compared the present glasses with other materials and the results showed that all the CaF₂-CaO-B₂O₃-TeO₂-Yb₂O₃ glasses have better attenuation performance that RS-253-G18.