Detailed Inspection of γ-ray, Fast and Thermal Neutrons Shielding Competence of Calcium Oxide or Strontium Oxide Comprising Bismuth Borate Glasses.

For both the B(2)O(3)-Bi(2)O(3)-CaO and B(2)O(3)-Bi(2)O(3)-SrO glass systems, γ-ray and neutron attenuation qualities were evaluated. Utilizing the Phy-X/PSD program, within the 0.015-15 MeV energy range, linear attenuation coefficients (µ) and mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) were calculated, and the attained μ/ρ quantities match well with respective simulation results computed by MCNPX, Geant4, and Penelope codes. Instead of B(2)O(3)/CaO or B(2)O(3)/SrO, the Bi(2)O(3) addition causes improved γ-ray shielding competence, i.e., rise in effective atomic number (Z(eff)) and a fall in half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP). Exposure buildup factors (EBFs) and energy absorption buildup factors (EABFs) were derived using a geometric progression (G-P) fitting approach at 1-40 mfp penetration depths (PDs), within the 0.015-15 MeV range. Computed radiation protection efficiency (RPE) values confirm their excellent capacity for lower energy photons shielding. Comparably greater density (7.59 g/cm(3)), larger μ, μ/ρ, Z(eff), equivalent atomic number (Z(eq)), and RPE, with the lowest HVL, TVL, MFP, EBFs, and EABFs derived for 30B(2)O(3)-60Bi(2)O(3)-10SrO (mol%) glass suggest it as an excellent γ-ray attenuator. Additionally, 30B(2)O(3)-60Bi(2)O(3)-10SrO (mol%) glass holds a commensurably bigger macroscopic removal cross-section for fast neutrons (Σ(R)) (=0.1199 cm(-1)), obtained by applying Phy-X/PSD for fast neutrons shielding, owing to the presence of larger wt% of 'Bi' (80.6813 wt%) and moderate 'B' (2.0869 wt%) elements in it. 70B(2)O(3)-5Bi(2)O(3)-25CaO (mol%) sample (B: 17.5887 wt%, Bi: 24.2855 wt%, Ca: 11.6436 wt%, and O: 46.4821 wt%) shows high potentiality for thermal or slow neutrons and intermediate energy neutrons capture or absorption due to comprised high wt% of 'B' element in it.