Performance of Seven Naturally Occurring Pt-Metallic Materials in Comparison to Their Basic Elements as Photon or Neutron Shielding Materials: MATXCOM vs. NGCal Models

Abstract

In general, the humans are seeking for safety and protection from the harmful radiations which are fundamental characteristics of their behaviors. Radiation has useful applications but it is important to protect from ionizing radiation. This protection is limited by the shielding material, distance, time, and radiation dose. In the case of neutron, these parameters varied in their effects in comparison to radiation nature. The current study explores the attenuation nature of seven naturally occurred platinum materials against neutron and photon exposure via two models at (0.015-15) MeV. These materials are Isoferroplatinum    (Pt₃Fe), Tetra -ferroplatinum (PtFe), Tulameenite (Pt₂CuFe), Geversite (PtSb₂), Sperrylite (PtAs₂), Braggite (PdPt₃S₄), and Cooperite (PtS). The web based MATXCOM and NGCal were applied to calculate LAC, MAC, and TVL factors of these materials then compared with Pt, Fe, Cu, Sb, As, Pd, and S. Furthermore, this first Iraqi attempt calculates the protection efficiency (P%) of all the tested materials and their basic elements and defines the best shielding materials against neutron or photon exposure. Between all the tested naturally occurred materials, the Pt₃Fe was found to be the superior photon or thermal neutron shielding protector due to its higher LAC and MAC and lower TVL at the applied photon energy whereas Pt₂CuFe was superior fast neutron shielding material. This conclusion is based on the obtained P% data in addition to the LAC, MAC, and TVL. Moreover, density, mean atomic number, and crystal system are essential factors that influence the interactions between each material and the incident photons or the neutrons.