Geant4 simulation of electron beam penetration behavior in textile artifacts matrix

Abstract

Textile relics are susceptible to microbial infestation, making sterilization imperative. Electron beam irradiation offers an eco-friendly solution. In practical operations, work distance of electron beam source, irradiation dose, and electron energy all influence sterilization efficacy and the integrity of artifact matrix. By utilizing Geant4 simulations, we studied the interaction between electron beams and the matrix of textiles (protein and cellulose) under different irradiation conditions. For low-energy electron beams, the irradiation distance in a nitrogen atmosphere significantly affects the energy deposition rate with a constant matrix thickness. When the energy is below 1 MeV, both the electron energy and the work distance notably influence the energy deposition rate of the beam. As the energy increases beyond 1 MeV, this influence becomes less significant. Additionally, the depth of 99% energy deposition is less than 1 mm for protein at electron energies below 0.4 MeV and for cellulose below 0.45 MeV.