Synthesis and evaluating gamma shielding features of YBa2Cu3O7(Bi2O3) ceramic composite using Monte Carlo method via GEANT4 and MCNP codes

In the present study, the four samples of the YBa2Cu3O7/Bi2O3 ceramic composite (Bi0, Bi5, Bi10, and Bi20) were synthesized for evaluating their shielding properties against photons with the energy range of 0.01-15 MeV (including the 137Cs source with the energy of 0.662 MeV). The YBa2Cu3O7 ceramic composite is a favorable superconductor material, which can be used in magnetically levitated transportation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), energy systems, and fusion reactors as a fusion magnet. Adding Bi2O3 to the YBa2Cu3O7 can improve the shielding features of it. To study the structure of the samples, an XRD test was taken. Furthermore, the superconductivity property of the sample was assessed by estimating the resistivity of the samples. The GEANT4, MCNP, Phy-X/PSD, and XCOM programs were applied for estimating the protection features of the samples and compared with the experimental values. The LAC, MAC, HVL, TVL, MFP, Zeff, and Neff parameters were computed for the samples. As the results represented, the LAC values of the samples increase with rising the amount of Bi2O3. For instance, in the energy of 0.662 MeV, the LAC values of the Bi0, Bi5, Bi10, and Bi20 samples are (0.4826 ± 0.0015, 0.4660, 0.4630, 0.4756, and 0.4755 cm− 1), (0.4951 ± 0.0031, 0.4778, 0.4768, 0.4902, and 0.4901 cm− 1), (0.5106 ± 0.0024, 0.4939, 0.4913, 0.5056, and 0.5054 cm− 1), and (0.5385 ± 0.0021, 0.5286, 0.5218, 0.5384, and 0.5383 cm− 1) for the experimental measurements and simulation calculations (the GEANT4, MCNP, Phy-X/PSD, and XCOM programs), respectively. As can be seen, the experimental values and simulated results are in good agreement to each other. According to the reported results, the Bi20 sample, with the maximum values of LAC and the highest density, was selected as the best shield candidate against photons than the other samples.