Radiation attenuation properties of the quaternary semiconducting compounds Cu₂CoGe[S, Se, Te]₄

The radiation-protection properties of the magnetic semiconducting quaternary compounds Cu₂CoGeS₄, Cu₂CoGeSe₄, and Cu₂CoGeTe₄ were examined in this study by using Phy-X/PSD software with the selected gamma energy (0.015–15 MeV). The radiation shielding coefficients such as mass and linear attenuation coefficients (MAC) and (LAC), half-value layer (HVL), and mean free path (MFP) of the present semiconductors were calculated. Also, the total electronic and atomic cross-sections (ECS and ACS), the effective atomic number (Z_eff), the effective electron density (N_eff), and the effective conductivity (C_eff) of these semiconductors were estimated to see how well they could protect against radiation. A comparative study occurred between the obtained results and the corresponding values of RS-253-G18, RS-360, RS-520 glasses, barite, chromite, and ferrite concrete. The results show that semiconducting samples with the best shielding performance outperform RS-253-G18, RS-360 glass, and RS-520 glass materials commonly used in nuclear applications. The Cu₂CoGeTe₄ sample had the highest MAC, LAC, and ACS, as well as the highest ECS and Z_eff values. The other two semiconductor samples had the lowest MAC, ECS, and Z_eff values. For photons, charged particles (electrons, protons, alpha particles), and C-ion, Phy-X/PSD allows the calculation of the Z_eff quickly and precisely across the entire energy range. This study indicates that the semiconductor samples can be utilized as radiation attenuators for various nuclear fields.