Gamma-ray, fast neutron and ion shielding characteristics of low-density and high-entropy Mg–Al–Ti–V–Cr–Fe–Zr–Nb alloy systems using Phy-X/PSD and SRIM programs
Basanta Subedi, Jeevan Paudel, Tika Ram Lamichhane
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the radiation shielding properties of ten low-density high-entropy alloys (LWHEAs) using Phy-X/PSD software to analyze various shielding parameters, such as attenuation coefficients ( μ m and μ ), mean free path ( λ ), effective atomic number ( Z eff ), and removal cross-section ( Σ R ), in the energy range of Image 1 to Image 2. A comprehensive evaluation was performed to compare the attenuation outcomes provided by HEAs with a range of shielding materials documented in the literature. The study also calculated the build-up factors (BUFs) of the alloys by using the GP-fitting interpolation method. The stopping power of the alloys against H 1 \/ H e + 2 ions was analyzed using the SRIM Monte Carlo code, considering total stopping power (TSP) and projected range (PR). The results indicated that HEA8 ( A l 3.88 C r 14.95 M o 27.58 N b 26.71 T i 13.76 Z r 13.11 ) had the best performance in terms of shielding against γ -rays, fast neutrons, and H 1 \/ H e + 2 ions, as it achieved the highest values of parameters such as μ m , μ , Z eff , and Σ R , along with the lowest values of HVL, TVL, λ , BUFs (Image 3Image 4), TSP, and PR. On the other hand, HEA10 ( M g 10.77 A l 11.96 M n 24.35 F e 24.75 C u 28.17 ) had the lowest BUFs in both lower (Image 5Image 4) and higher (Image 6Image 4) energy regions. The order of μ m for the alloys was found to be HEA5 < HEA6 < HEA9 < HEA7 < HEA10 < HEA4 < HEA2 < HEA3 < HEA1 < HEA8 . The study concluded that LWHEAs possess superior radiation shielding properties compared to conventional materials, making them a promising new class of materials for radiation shielding applications.