Exploring the gamma-ray shielding performance of boron-rich high entropy alloys

High entropy alloys (HEAs) are innovative materials combining multiple principal elements, known for their exceptional properties and wide-ranging applications. This study assesses the gamma-ray shielding capacity of twelve boron-based HEAs through advanced computational methods. Key parameters in terms of understanding the material's ability to reduce radiation intensity, specifically half-value layer (HVL) and tenth-value layer (TVL); its capacity to absorb or scatter photons, including mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) and linear attenuation coefficient (LAC); and other related factors such as equivalent atomic number (Zeq), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), mean free path (MFP), and fast neutron removal cross-section (FNRCS) were calculated for photon energies between 0.015 and 15 MeV using the computational method Phy-X/PSD (Photon Shielding and Dosimetry). Additionally, the interaction of alpha particles and protons with these alloys was assessed by calculating energy deposition KERMA (Kinetic Energy Released per Unit Mass) and mass stopping power (MSP) using PAGEX (interaction of protons, alpha, gamma rays, electrons, and X-rays with matter) software, while SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) was employed to estimate particle penetration depths. Electron interactions were evaluated using ESTAR (Stopping Power and Range Tables for Electrons) for stopping power and penetration depth. Among the alloys, Sample 10, S10, (Zr10.8%-Hf21.3%-Nb11.0%-Ta21.6%-W22.0%-B13.1%) exhibited efficient shielding properties due to its high density and interaction characteristics. It can be concluded that boron-based HEAs with optimized compositions and high densities demonstrate significant potential for advanced radiation protection applications.