Radiation shielding properties evaluation of strontium-zinc borate glass doping with Yb2O3 and its dosimetry estimation of human organs on MRCP-AM phantoms

Abstract

Radiation protection in both diagnostic and therapeutic radiology facilities is critical for occupational safety. This study focuses on the development and characterization of a strontium-zinc borate glass system doped with varying concentrations of Yb2O3 (0 to 6 mol%)—coded as SrZBYb0 through SrZBYb6. The research aims to assess the organ-level absorbed dose in a computational human model and to evaluate the shielding efficiency of these glasses. X-ray attenuation properties were calculated using the PHITS Monte Carlo simulation, employing the mesh-type reference computational phantoms representing an adult male (MRCP-AM). A range of X-ray tube voltages was simulated to determine dose absorption under both diagnostic and therapeutic conditions. The SpekPy tool was used to model the X-ray spectra. Results revealed a progressive increase in glass density and X-ray shielding performance with higher Yb2O3 content while maintaining high transmittance (%T > 85%) in the visible spectrum and absorbance in the near-infrared. As tube voltage increased from 60 kVp to 120 kVp, the photon energy spectrum broadened from 0–0.06 MeV to 0–0.12 MeV. Incorporating the shielding glass led to a significant reduction in both absorbed and effective dose rates in MRCP-AM models. The absorbed dose of the brain, liver, left eye, right eye, left lung, right lung, prostate, and thyroid at 120 kVp has been reduced by 85.06%, 87.30%, 92.19%, 92.46%, 88.02%, 87.98%, 85.16%, and 90.01%, respectively, when the SrZBYb6 shielding glass (thickness = 0.3 cm) is installed. These findings suggest that the developed glasses offer a promising alternative for applications requiring efficient photon shielding.