Investigation of shielding properties of some boron compounds

Abstract

Gamma and X-ray photon interaction parameters such as the equivalent atomic number (Z(eq)), effective atomic number Z(eff), and exposure and energy absorption buildup factor have been computed for some boron compounds in the energy range of 15-100 keV. We have used WinXCom and ZXCom software to calculate the effective atomic number from Rayleigh/Compton (R/C) ratios. Finally, the selected boron compounds have been analyzed for application as radiation shielding materials. It is concluded that boric acid (M6) and concentrated colemanite (M1) have better shielding capability among the selected samples. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.