Optical features and radiation protection capabilities of BaO and Eu2O3 doped borate-based glasses: The effect of composition on performance
Albandari.W. Alrowaily, Manjunatha, Shrikant Biradar, M.I. Sayyed, A.S. Bennal
Abstract
This research explores BaO-PbO 2 -Eu 2 O 3 -B 2 O 3 glass compositions' optical and radiation attenuation characteristics. There is a 3.891 to 4.399 g/cm 3 increase in the developed glasses' density as the dopant loading rises. UV-visible absorption analysis identifies unique bands linked to Eu 3+ electronic shifts, with absorption strengths intensifying as Eu 2 O 3 levels increase. There is a 3.038 to 2.904 eV and 2.553 to 2.399 eV optical energy gap (E opt ) decrease for direct and indirect transitions, respectively, with increased BaO and Eu 2 O 3 content, due to matrix restructuring and non-bridging oxygen entity formations. These changes also lead to a 2.529 to 2.581 and 6.396 to 6.662 enhancement in the refractive index (n) and the dielectric constant (ε), respectively. Optical electronegativity (χ opt ), polarizability (α e ), and basicity (Λ) display trends impacted by changes in glass composition. Radiation attenuation evaluation, conducted using Phy-X software, indicates enhanced mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient, and effective atomic number with higher BaO and Eu 2 O 3 incorporation, while the mean free path (MFP), half-value layer (HVL), and tenth-value layer diminish, signifying improved shielding performance. There is a MAC decrease in Ba17Eu0 from 1.270 cm 2 /g at 0.122 MeV to 0.065 cm 2 /g at 0.964 MeV, demonstrating an inverse relationship with energy. The MFP at 0.689 MeV is 3.103 cm for Ba17Eu0 and 2.756 cm for Ba26Eu3, indicating improved shielding with higher BaO and Eu 2 O 3 concentrations. The HVL values for the Ba17Eu0 glass at 0.122, 0.245, 0.411, and 0.964 MeV were found to be 0.140, 0.625, 1.331, and 2.727 cm, respectively. The HVL values increased with energy, as expected, and were consistently smaller compared to previously studied glasses. These findings highlight BaO and Eu 2 O 3 content's importance in determining the shielding efficiency of the glasses.