Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Applied Physics A (2020) 126:258 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-020-3426-7 Evaluation of nuclear radiation shielding competence for ternary Ge–Sb–S chalcogenide glasses F. I. El‑Agawany 1  · K. A. Mahmoud 2,3  · E. Kavaz 4  · R. El‑Mallawany 1  · Y. S. Rammah 1 Received: 14 January 2020 / Accepted: 21 February 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract Chalcogenide glasses are which include germanium, antimony, and sulfur in its structure. The high physical, dielectric, optical, mechanical, and thermal features of the chalcogenide glasses lead to the occasion to evaluate its radiation shielding characteristics. Gamma ray and neutron shielding parameters were evaluated for fve chalcogenide glasses doped with CdCl 2 according to the formula 60(GeS 2 )–(40 − x)Sb 2 S 3 –xCdCl 2 ; x = 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mol% glasses. The mass attenuation coef- fcient MAC for chalcogenide glasses was simulated using Monte Carlo simulation code (MCNP-5) in gamma photon energy between 0.015 and 15 MeV. The obtained results showed that the MAC for all studied glasses decreases with insertions of CdCl 2 . The highest MAC is obtained for GSC glasses without CdCl 2 content and varied between 0.037 and 4.706 cm 2  g −1 , while the lowest MAC achieved for GSC 40 glasses with (40 mol%) CdCl 2 and varied between 0.034 and 44.758 cm 2  g −1 . After that, the simulated MAC for all chalcogenide glasses is compared with those calculated theoretically using XCOM software. Other pivotal gamma ray shielding competences such as half value layer, mean free path and efective atomic number (Z ef ), and exposure buildup factor for the chalcogenide glasses were also evaluated via the μ/ρ. Furthermore, the fast neutron removal cross section (ΣR) was also evaluated for chalcogenide glasses. GSC0 possesses the best removal cross section for fast neutron (ƩR = 0.0695 cm −1 ) among the present chalcogenide glasses. Keywords Chalcogenide glass · Half value layer · MCNP 5 · Exposure buildup factors 1 Introduction During last decades, several scientists, engineers, technolo- gists, and experts are paying more eforts to select the tal- ented compositions of the glass systems (oxide and chalco- genide glasses) in order to develop and improve the physical, dielectric, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties of these glasses. Due to oxide glasses, materials possess unlim- ited chemical and physical characteristics such as high ther- mal expansion coefcients, low preparation temperatures, high feld strength, low cost, and high transmittance proper- ties. Moreover, glasses can be applied in more application such as optical fbers, sensor, lasers, solar cells, and opto- electronic devices [1–3]. Chalcogenide glasses (ChGs) have attracted worldwide interest for optical signal processing, and integrated IR photonics due to their interesting proper- ties such as wide band infrared (IR) transparency, waveguide parametric amplifcation and all-optical switching device, and good nonlinear optical properties [4–6]. Nuclear weapons, radioactive sources, and nuclear reac- tors are considered as main sources the harmful radiation such as gamma rays, X-rays, neutrons, and charged particles. Gamma rays are the most dangerous radiation, because they are characterized as an energetic ionizing radiation without mass and charge. These characterizations that lead to γ-rays could travel for long kilometers and can pass through materi- als [7, 8]. When the human is exposed to γ-photon for long time, it causes damage at blood cells, genetic damage, can- cer, and may be death [9]. In order to protect the human from radiation risks, several of researchers and investigators have been using concretes, rocks, alloys, and polymers [10–16]. * Y. S. Rammah dr_yasser1974@yahoo.com 1 Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufa University, Shebin El-Koom 32511, Egypt 2 Ural Federal University, 19 Mira St, 620002 Yekaterinburg, Russia 3 Nuclear Materials Authority, P. O. Box 530, El Maadi, Cairo, Egypt 4 Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey