Radiation Shielding and Dosimetry Parameters of Silica–Borate Glasses with Fe₂O₃/Sm₂O₃

In this paper, we investigate the radiation shielding and dosimetry parameters of the silica–borate glasses containing Sm₂O₃. We examine the effect of Sm₂O₃ on the density, attenuation factors (such as the mass attenuation coefficients, MAC and linear attenuation coefficient, LAC), and radiation shielding performance of the glass system involved, as well as its ability to absorb and scatter radiation. The mass attenuation coefficients of the glasses were computed using XCOM for 15 keV-15 MeV photons. Other relevant parameters that described the photon absorbing and scattering competence of the glasses were theoretically computed and assessed. In the low energy regions, a distinct variation between the MAC (µ/ρ) and energy is observed, with a value of 14.479 cm²/g at 15 keV representing the difference in MAC between the glasses with the lowest and highest Sm₂O₃ content. In contrast, at high energies, the effect of Sm₂O₃ on the MAC become less pronounced, resulting in a negligible difference in the MAC values between the studied glasses. A comprehensive comparison is achieved, for photons from a ¹³⁷Cs source (662 keV), between the studied samples and others from different publications. The comparison revealed that SiBVFS4 sample, in the present work, has better photon absorbing efficiency compared to the other shielding glasses. Our results showed that the addition of Sm₂O₃ significantly improves the radiation shielding properties of the glass system, making it a promising material for use in various applications, including nuclear reactors, medical facilities, and space exploration.