Attenuation features of AgZnSnS, AgZnSnSe, ZnS, and AgS compounds against indirect ionizing radiation using Phy-X/PSD software

Four sulfide compounds' attenuation features of gamma-ray (Ag2ZnSnS4, Ag2ZnSnSe4, ZnS, and Ag2S) were described in this paper by a new software Phy-X/PSD. We calculated radiation attenuation parameters for the selected samples for a broad range of energies (0.015–15 MeV), including linear attenuation, the mean free path, the half-value layer, and total atomic and electronic cross-sections. The effective atomic number and the effective conductivity were also analyzed to investigate the radiation attenuation features. Also, the analyzed samples' buildup factors were studied. The samples’ parameters were compared to materials frequently used to shield against radiation, including ferrite, chromite, barite, magnetite, and RS (253 G18, 360, 520) glass. Due to MFP and HVL values, Ag2S has better attenuation features than all the other samples utilized in the comparison. Fast neutron removal cross-sections (FNRCS) were also studied, and the best neutron attenuation composite among the samples under study, according to the FNRCS data, is Ag2S (0.116 cm−1).