Neutron shielding and activation estimation of Bismuth doped glasses (60-x) B₂O₃–20SiO₂–x Bi₂O₃–12ZnO–8BaO

Neutron shielding materials play a critical role in nuclear reactors, radiation therapy, and other environments where neutron radiation is present. This study uses theoretical analysis and the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulation tool to investigate the neutron shielding properties of various doped glass materials. In this study, we investigated the neutron shielding properties and activation characteristics of heavy metal oxide glass with the composition (60-x) B₂O₃–20SiO₂–xBi₂O₃–12ZnO–8BaO, where x represents the concentration of Bi₂O₃ varied at 0 and 12 mol%. The primary focus was evaluating the neutron shielding performance with the Monte Carlo MCNP tool. MCNP was employed to perform neutron transport simulations to determine shielding properties. Additionally, we explored neutron activation within the glass matrix to assess its feasibility for neutron shielding applications. The results showed that increasing the Bi₂O₃ content reduced the neutron shielding efficiency as it was replaced with a high neutron scattering Boron element. The activation produced in the glass was assessed for thermal neutrons, and the results indicated the glass composite produced a minimal amount of activation. This makes it suitable for the neutron field, considering sufficient cooling time and adequate chemical process needed to eliminate the toxic species produced during irradiation.