Investigation of bismuth borate glass system modified with barium for structural and gamma-ray shielding properties

Comprehensive study for radiation shielding features for Bi2O3-B2O3-ZnO composite using computational radioanalytical Phy-X/PSD, MCNP5, and SRIM software

The current study uses zinc oxide doping nanoparticles to investigate the radiation shielding properties of bismuth borate glass. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) examined the structural characteristics of the current samples. In contrast, the optical properties were determined based on the absorption spectrum for current samples. Appraisal studies are carried out depending on the simulation capabilities of Phy-X/PSD software in conjunction with MCNP5 to achieve this goal. In addition, the neutron and charged particle shielding properties were evaluated theoretically. All glasses are amorphous, as confirmed by the XRD data, and the FTIR data showed several vibration bands and functional groups. The density showed rising from 5.981 to 6.433 g/cm3 with adding ZnO. The band gap values reduced from 2.831 to 2.091 eV for direct and 3.024 to 2.218 eV for indirect with adding ZnO. The investigations' findings demonstrate a strong agreement between the theoretical and simulation-derived estimates of the mass attenuation coefficient. The relative difference of MAC results lie in the range 0.106-2.941% for BBZ0, 0.105-4.348% for BBZ1, 0.105-3.398% for BBZ2, and 0.105-2.032% for BBZ3. The study's findings are valuable insights from thoroughly examining these parameters, which can potentially improve the radiation protection abilities of Bi2O3-B2O3-ZnO glasses. This study represents a significant step in developing more efficient and safer materials for gamma radiation shielding applications.

Multifiller-based polymer composites for shielding high energy ionising radiation

Polydimethyl silicone rubber-based polymer composites filled with molybdenum and bismuth were fabricated using simple open mold cast technique. The physical and chemical structure and gamma shielding parameters like attenuation coefficient, half-value layer (HVL) thickness and relaxation length have been investigated for the said novel materials using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gamma ray spectrometer. XRD study reveals the crystalline nature of the composites. It is evident from FTIR studies that there is no chemical interaction between the polymer matrix and filler particles. The results of attenuation studies reveal that the linear attenuation coefficient increases with addition of Bi and Mo and is found to be 0.653, 1.341 and 1.017, 1.793 and 0.102, 0.152 cm-1 for 1MMB and 2MMB polymer composites at 80, 356 and 662 keV gamma rays, respectively. The HVL thickness of the materials is found to be 1.06, 0.51 and 0.68, 0.38 and 6.73, 4.532 cm for 1MMB (20Mo + 10Bi phr) and 2MMB (40Mo + 20Bi phr) at these energies, respectively. The mass attenuation coefficient of the novel composites 1MMB and 2MMB is found to be higher than the conventional materials like lead and barite for 356 keV gamma rays. In addition, the material is found to be light weight and flexible enabling to be molded in required forms, thus being a substitute for the material lead that is known to be heavy and toxic by nature.

Impact of bismuth oxide on structural, optical and gamma-ray shielding properties of calcium-sodium-borate glasses

In the present study, we have prepared six glass samples of bismuth borate using the melt-quenching method with the composition (70-x)B2O3-10CaO-20Na2O-xBi2O3; x = 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 mol%. The density of the prepared glasses was determined using Archimedes principle. The X-ray diffraction patterns provide confirmation of the amorphous nature of the prepared samples, whereas the Fourier transform infrared measurements pointed to the existence of structural units like BO3, BO4, BiO3 and BiO6 within the glass network. An assessment of the optical absorption spectra unveiled that with the increase in the bismuth oxide content, there was a decrease observed in both the direct and indirect band gap energies. Specifically, they decreased from 3.40 to 2.79 eV and from 3.10 to 2.46 eV, respectively. The properties related to gamma ray attenuation, including the mass attenuation coefficient (μm), effective atomic number (Zeff), half-value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP), were examined for all the glass samples. This investigation was carried out using the Phy-X/PSD software, covering the energy range from 0.511 to 1.332 MeV. Out of all the samples, Bi-15, featuring the highest Bi2O3 content, demonstrated the highest μm, Zeff, the smallest HVL and MFP. These results suggest that the glass with 15 mol% of Bi2O3 offers the most effective gamma radiation shielding performance. Moreover, the glasses examined in this study exhibit superior radiation shielding characteristics compared with specific concrete types, namely, ordinary concrete, Hematite serpentine concrete and barite concrete, as well as commercial glasses such as RS-360 and RS-253.

A comprehensive investigation of Bi2O3 on the physical, structural, optical, and electrical properties of K2O.ZnO.V2O5.B2O3 glasses

The multi-component glass system has a composition of 10K2O-10ZnO-55 B2O3-(25-x)V2O5-xBi2O3 (x = 4, 5, 7.5, 9, 10 mol%) are synthesized by the melt-quenching method. Using X-ray diffraction examination, the amorphous phase in the material was confirmed. The physical characteristics of the produced compositions are examined using density (D) and molar volume (Vm). Calculations of physical properties showed that adding Bi2O3 from 4 to 10 mol% increased the glass density from 2.7878 to 3.3617 g cm-3 and decreased the molar volume from 40.4196 to 38.5895 cm3/mol. Studies of glass samples using the FTIR show bands of absorption for oxides in different structural groups. Octahedral [ BiO 6 ], [ BO 4 ], and tetrahedral [ BO 3 ] structural units are observed in the present glass matrices. The cutoff wavelength ( λ C ), and optical band gap energy were determined using UV absorption spectra. The increase in non-bridging oxygens can be linked to the decrease in optical band gap energy ( E opt ) (direct and indirect) and the increase in cutoff wavelength with an increase in Bi2O3 content. This is attributed to the existence of bismuth ions and the creation of non-bridging oxygens. Besides that, the values of optical parameters, viz., optical electronegativity, refractive index, and molar refractivity, are calculated. The metallization criterion values are less than 1 and the glass samples exhibit an increased tendency towards metallization. Both the conductivity and the dielectric constant increase with the rise in Bi2O3 content, however, the dielectric loss and the impedance reduce. The behavior and values of conductivity for the studied glasses reveal the semiconducting properties of all glass samples. These results suggest that the produced glass samples may be employed as amorphous semiconductors in electronics and memory switching devices.

Biogenic synthesis of levofloxacin-loaded copper oxide nanoparticles using Cymbopogon citratus: A green approach for effective antibacterial applications

Despite the success of antibiotics in medicine, the treatment of bacterial infection is still challenging due to emerging resistance and suitable drug delivery system, therefore, innovative approaches focused on nanoparticles based antimicrobial drug delivery systems are highly desired. This research aimed to synthesize Cymbopogon citratus (C. citratus) aqueous extract-mediated copper oxide (CuO-Nps) conjugated with levofloxacin (LFX). The synthesized CuO NPs-LFX nano conjugate was confirmed by analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and infrared and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy. Antibacterial activities were assessed in vitro through the agar well diffusion method against six bacterial strains of clinical relevance. CuO NPs confirmed by UV-Vis analysis absorption peak observed at 380 nm. TGA analysis showed 8.98% weight loss between the 400-800 ° C temperature range. The functional group's presence was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Spherical shape nanoparticles with an average particle size of 55 nm were recorded by FESEM. Results from agar well diffusion assay showed that CuO NPs-LFX prohibited the development of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria at all established concentrations, and the antibacterial propensity was more pronounced as compared to bare CuO NPs, Levofloxacin and C. citratus aqueous extract alone. The results showed that gram-negative bacteria are more susceptible to CuO NPs-LFX nano conjugate and at 10 μgmL-1 concentration, form a 10.1 mm zone of inhibition (ZOI), whereas gram-positive bacteria on the same concentration form 9.5 mm ZOI. LFX-loaded CuO NPs antibacterial activity was observed higher than plant extract, bare CuO NPs, and standard drug (Levofloxacin). This study provides a novel approach for the fabrication of biogenic CuO NPs with antibacterial drug levofloxacin and their usage as nano antibiotic carriers against pathogenic bacteria, especially antibiotic-resistant microbes.

Radiation attenuation of boro-tellurite glasses for efficient shielding applications

The borotellurite glasses whose chemical structure is (29.5-0.4x)CaO + 10CaF2 + (60-0.6x)B2O3 + xTeO2+ 0.5Yb2O3 (where x=10, 16, 22, 31, and 54 % mole. represent TCCBY1-TCCBY5, respectively) are Pb-free, thermally stable, and transparent glasses with attractive optical features for technological applications. The gamma-photons, electrons, protons, neutrons, carbon ions, fast neutrons, and fast neutron interaction parameters of these glasses are presented in this study to better understand the role of TeO2 in influencing their radiation shielding properties and radiation protection applications. The photon mass attenuation coefficient was evaluated by XCOM computation and simulation using the FLUKA code. The FLUKA code was also used to evaluate the mass stopping powers of the charged radiations, while neutrons' cross sections were evaluated using standard expressions. For 0.015 MeV-15 MeV photons, the mass attenuation coefficients of the glasses fell from 17.9499 to 0.0246 cm2/g for TCCBY1, 20.5628 to 0.0263 cm2/g for TCCBY2, 23.2756 to 0.079 cm2/g for TCCBY3, 26.7487 to 0.0298 cm2/g for TCCBY4, and 33.3591 to 0.0335 cm2/g for TCCBY5. The photon half-value layer at 15 keV is reduced by about 19.57%, 32.68%, 48.84%, and 63.89% when the TeO2 content increases from 10 mol to 16, 22, 31, and 54 mol, respectively. TeO2 was found to suppress photon buildup in the glasses. The mass stopping powers of charged radiation increased as glass density decreased. The addition of TeO2 into the glass structure increased the ability of the TCCBY glass to absorb fast neutrons by up to 54 % mole. The gamma radiation and fast neutron moderating ability of TCCBY5 glass compared to common shields and other materials is exceptional. The glass is recommended for the design of Pb-free, transparent, and efficient radiation protection structures.

Gamma-ray, fast neutron and ion shielding characteristics of low-density and high-entropy Mg-Al-Ti-V-Cr-Fe-Zr-Nb alloy systems using Phy-X/PSD and SRIM programs

This study aimed to assess the radiation shielding properties of ten low-density high-entropy alloys (LWHEAs) using Phy-X/PSD software to analyze various shielding parameters, such as attenuation coefficients (μ m and μ), mean free path (λ), effective atomic number (Z eff ), and removal cross-section (Σ R ), in the energy range of Image 1 to Image 2. A comprehensive evaluation was performed to compare the attenuation outcomes provided by HEAs with a range of shielding materials documented in the literature. The study also calculated the build-up factors (BUFs) of the alloys by using the GP-fitting interpolation method. The stopping power of the alloys against H 1 / H e + 2 ions was analyzed using the SRIM Monte Carlo code, considering total stopping power (TSP) and projected range (PR). The results indicated that HEA8 (A l 3.88 C r 14.95 M o 27.58 N b 26.71 T i 13.76 Z r 13.11 ) had the best performance in terms of shielding against γ-rays, fast neutrons, and H 1 / H e + 2 ions, as it achieved the highest values of parameters such as μ m , μ, Z eff , and Σ R , along with the lowest values of HVL, TVL, λ, BUFs (Image 3 Image 4), TSP, and PR. On the other hand, HEA10 (M g 10.77 A l 11.96 M n 24.35 F e 24.75 C u 28.17 ) had the lowest BUFs in both lower (Image 5 Image 4) and higher (Image 6 Image 4) energy regions. The order of μ m for the alloys was found to be HEA5 < HEA6 < HEA9 < HEA7 < HEA10 < HEA4 < HEA2 < HEA3 < HEA1 < HEA8 . The study concluded that LWHEAs possess superior radiation shielding properties compared to conventional materials, making them a promising new class of materials for radiation shielding applications.

Synthesis of Novel Li2O-CuO-Bi2O3-B2O3 Glasses for Radiation Protection: An Experimental and Theoretical Study

Glass samples were synthesized according to 10Li2O + 20CuO + xBi2O3 + (70 − x)B2O3, where x = 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 mol% by the melt-quenching method. The ability of the prepared glass to protect against gamma rays and neutrons was examined experimentally and theoretically. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) was calculated experimentally at energies of 0.662, 1.173, and 1.333 MeV using 137Cs and 60Co sources. The obtained results were compared with the theoretical ones using a Phy-x/PSD software program version 0.1.0.0. It was found that the experimental and theoretical results are very agreed upon. Moreover, other nuclear radiation shielding parameters were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of bismuth oxide leads to an improvement in the ability of the composite glass to attenuate gamma rays by increasing the values of MAC and Zeff, while it led to a decrease in the HVL and MFP, as well as the EBF and EABF. The results also showed that the addition of copper oxide led to an improvement in the ability of the present glass to slow down fast neutrons. Sample BiS40 showed the best result for gamma ray attenuation and sample BiS10 gave the best result for fast neutron removal cross section. The results were compared with some materials used for gamma ray shielding and fast neutron removal cross section, and it was concluded that samples Bi40 and BiS10 outperformed all commercial materials.

Radiation attenuation attributes for BaO-TiO2-SiO2-GeO2 glass series: a comprehensive study using Phy-X software

The radiation-shielding attributes of six glass samples with BaO-TiO2-SiO2-GeO2 compositions were examined. Using the Phy-X software, the radiation shielding factors for the proposed glasses were reported. The transmission factor (TF) was calculated for various glass thicknesses, and the findings showed that the TF reduces as the glass thickness increases. The transmission of the photon decreased for BTGS55 from 0.83 to 0.49 at 0.284 MeV and from 0.93 to 0.73 at 0.826 MeV as the sample thickness increased from 0.4 to 1.6 cm. The findings of the radiation protection efficiency (RPE) indicated that a thick glass sample absorbs more photons, suggesting that less radiation passes through the glass, improving RPE. Furthermore, the BTGS0 glass has a higher RPE than the BTGS55 glass, indicating that the glass is more effective at blocking incoming radiation when it contains more GeO2. The BTGS55 sample has the lowest RPE and the greatest TF, whereas the BTGS0 glass has the highest RPE and lowest TF. The tenth value layer (TVL) was also obtained, and it was found that TVL rises with energy, peaking at 1.33 MeV and varied from 9.437 to 11.519 cm. The minimal TVL, in contrast, is estimated to range between 3.245 and 3.890 cm and it occurs at 0.284 MeV BTGS0 has the lowest TVL after the addition of GeO2, which lowers the TVL.

Novel 3-D printed radiation shielding materials embedded with bulk and nanoparticles of bismuth

In the present study, a new type of radiation shielding material was developed by using a 3-D printing technique which enables to create a light radiation shielding materials of a great variety of shapes and dimensions. Micro and nano bismuth particles were incorporated as a filler between the inner layers of polylactic acid thermoplastic polymer (PLA Plastic) designed of the investigated 3-D printed prototypes to achieve the desired radiation attenuation. The effect of particle size on the attenuation parameters were studied over the energy range from 0.0595 to 1.41 MeV. The mass and thickness needed to reduce the intensity of the incoming radiation to half of its original value were determined experimentally for pure polymer (ABS Plastic), polymer with bulk Bi, and polymer with nano Bi. The results reveal that bismuth NPs with average particle size of about 17 ± 3 nm have a greater mass attenuation capability than normal bulk bismuth particles, meaning they are more efficient and a lighter shield can be produced. The enhanced shielding ability of nano bismuth particles was contributed to the excellent particle distribution, leading to an increase in the probability of photons interacting with the bismuth atoms. The bismuth NPs 3-D printed objects can be considered as a promising radiation shielding candidates and also could be utilized in manufacturing of radiation medical phantom.

Natural leather based gamma-ray shielding materials enabled by the coordination of well-dispersed Bi3+/Ba2+ ions and RE2O3 coating

Gamma rays is widely used in modern science and technology, but it may cause health damage to practitioners. In the present study, natural composites based on leather and high-Z elements (atomic number ≥ 56) were fabricated and used as gamma rays shielding materials. These shielding materials were prepared by coating rare earth nanoparticles (Er2O3 or La2O3) onto the surface of natural leather, which was first impregnated with Bi3+ and Ba2+. Results show that the attenuation efficiency of the prepared Er1.31Bi5.46-NL (1.31 and 5.46 mmol cm−3 loaded elements) with thickness of 3.2 mm was 61.57% for incident rays at 121.78 keV (152Eu) and reached 96.4% in the incident of 59.5 keV (241Am), which is comparable to that of 0.25-mm lead plate (54.54 mmol cm−3). In addition, these natural-leather-based shielding materials exhibited low density (approximately 1/10 of Pb), high strength and wearable behaviors.

Graphical abstract

Inspection of Radiation Shielding Proficiency and Effect of Gamma-Ray on ESR and Thermal Characteristics of Copper Oxide Modified Borate Bioglasses

Samples of copper-modified bioactive borate glasses were synthesized and their radiation shielding properties including gamma-ray and neutron radiation shielding were investigated. Further, the glasses’ mass attenuation coefficients were measured with a NaI(Tl) detector while their gamma-ray shielding parameters were estimated using Phy-X/PSD program. Free-radical densities were measured via electron spin resonance to estimate the absorbed doses during accidental irradiation. The extensive reduction of the dose detection threshold (2 Gy) required the estimation of the signal of the non-irradiated sample. In addition, the effects of applied microwave power and absorbed dose on synthesized samples were studied. Finally, the thermal annealing of the emerging peaks, which were due to the irradiation signal-to-noise ratio and energy dependence, was studied to estimate the stabilities of such peaks. This modified material is recommended to detect and monitor the gamma-radiation dose because of its good dosimetric properties. Finally, regarding the presence of the two borate groups, triangular and the tetrahedrally coordinated, in their definite and typical wavenumbers, the FTIR spectra displayed simplified vibrations that were close to those of many bioglasses. This paper provides complementary results for the author's previous research examining this glass for low photon dose measurements using luminescence characteristics.

Influence of ZnF2 and WO3 on Radiation Attenuation Features of Oxyfluoride Tellurite WO3-ZnF2-TeO2 Glasses Using Phy-X/PSD Software

The radiation shielding features of the ternary oxyfluoride tellurite glasses were studied by calculating different shielding factors. The effect of the TeO2, WO3, and ZnF2 on the tested glass system’s attenuating performance was predicted from the examination. The mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ) values for the oxyfluoride tellurite glasses depend highly on the concentration of WO3, as well as ZnF2. All the present ZnFWTe1-ZnFWTe5 samples have higher µ/ρ values than that of the pure TeO2 glass at all energies. For the samples with a fixed content of WO3, the replacement of TeO2 by ZnF2 increases the µ/ρ, while for the glasses with a fixed content of TeO2, the replacement of WO3 by ZnF2 results in a decline in the µ/ρ values. The results revealed that ZnFWTe4 has the lowest linear attenuation coefficient (µ) among the oxyfluoride tellurite glasses, whereby it has a slightly higher value than pure TeO2 glass. The maximum effective atomic number (Zeff) is found at 0.284 MeV and varied between 31.75 and 34.30 for the tested glasses; it equaled to 30.29 for the pure TeO2 glass. The half-value layer (HVL) of the glasses showed a gradual decline with increasing density. The pure TeO2 was revealed to have thicker HVL than the selected oxyfluoride tellurite glasses. A 1.901-cm thickness of the sample, ZnFWTe1, is required to decrease the intensity of a photon with an energy of 0.284 MeV to one-tenth of its original, whereas 1.936, 1.956, 2.212, and 2.079 cm are required for glasses ZnFWTe2, ZnFWTe3, ZnFWTe4, and ZnFWTe5, respectively.

Study on Radiation Shielding Properties of New Barium-Doped Zinc Tellurite Glass

This study aimed to investigate the effect of BaF₂ on the radiation-shielding ability of lead telluride glass. A physical radioactive source was used to estimate the mass attenuation coefficient (μ_m) of the 60TeO₂-20PbO-(20-x)ZnO-xBaF₂ glass system (where x = 1,2,3,5,6,7,9 mol%). We tested the μ_m values at seven energies (0.059, 0.081, 0.122, 0.356, 0.662, 1.173, 1.332 MeV). To determine the accuracy of the obtained results, we compared the experimental data with the data calculated using the XCOM software. The experimental values obtained for the selected lead telluride glasses at different concentrations of BaF₂ are in good agreement with the results of XCOM at all energies. The addition of BaF₂ increased the μ_m value of the sample. At the same time, the half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), effective atomic number (Z_eff), and fast neutron removal cross-section (RCS) of the glass were studied. With the increase in the BaF₂ content, the HVL value and MFP value of the glass decreased, and the Z_eff value and RCS increased, indicating that the addition of BaF₂ enhanced the radiation-shielding performance of the glass.

Gamma, neutron, and heavy charged ion shielding properties of Er3+-doped and Sm3+-doped zinc borate glasses

This study aimed to investigate the nuclear radiation shielding properties of erbium (Er)-reinforced and samarium (Sm)-reinforced borate glasses. In the 0.015–15 MeV photon energy range, attenuation coefficients, as well as half-value layer tenth-value layers, and the mean-free path have been calculated. Additionally, effective, and equivalent atomic numbers, effective atomic weight, electron density, and exposure and energy absorption build-up factors were also calculated. To evaluate the overall nuclear radiation attenuation competencies of Er-rich and Sm-rich glasses, effective removal cross-section values for fast neutrons and projected range/mass stopping power values for alpha and proton particles were also determined. The glass sample BZBEr2.0 had the highest linear and mass attenuation coefficients (µ and µ m), effective conductivity (C eff), the effective number of electrons (N eff), and effective atomic number (Z eff) values as well as the lowest half-value layer (T 1/2), tenth value layers (T 1/10), mean free path (λ), exposure build-up factor, and energy absorption build-up factor values. µ m values were reported as 2.337, 2.556, 2.770, 2.976, 2.108, 2.266, 2.421, 2.569, and 2.714 for BZBEr0.5, BZBEr1.0, BZBEr1.5, BZBEr2.0, BZBSm0.0, BZBSm0.5, BZBSm1.0, BZBSm1.5, and BZBSm2.0 glass samples at 0.06 MeV, respectively. The results showed that Er has a greater effect than Sm regarding the gamma-ray shielding properties of borate glasses. The results of this investigation could be used in further investigations and added to older investigations with the same aim, to aid the scientific community in determining the most appropriate rare-earth additive, to provide adequate shielding properties based on the requirement.

Investigations on Structural and Optical Properties of Various Modifier Oxides (MO = ZnO, CdO, BaO, and PbO) Containing Bismuth Borate Lithium Glasses

Bismuth based quaternary glasses with compositions BiBLM: 50Bi2O3–20B2O3–15Li2O–15MO (where MO = ZnO, CdO, BaO, and PbO) were processed by conventional melt quenching. The effectiveness of various modifier oxides on the optical and structural properties of the developed glasses was studied systematically by XRD, DSC, FTIR, Raman, and optical absorption (OA) measurements. The synthesized glass specimens were characterized by XRD and the patterns demonstrated an amorphous nature. The physical characteristics such as molar mass, density, and OPD values were found to increase with an increase in the molar mass of the modifier oxides, while there was a decrement in oxygen molar volume, thus resulting in decrement of complete molar volume of the prepared glasses. From DSC analysis, incorrigible reduction and enhancement of Tg and thermal stability among various modifier oxides in the glass network was noticed. Optical absorption data for glass specimens have confirmed the decrease in both direct and indirect optical band gap values among various modifier oxides incorporation. These investigations support the obtained Urbach energy (UE) and metallization criteria of synthesized glasses. The ionic characteristic for the glass specimens were confirmed by the values of electronic polarizability and electronegativity. The Raman and FT-IR spectra of the glass specimens displayed the existence of BiO3, BiO6, ZnO4, CdO4, BaO4, BO3, PbO4, and BO4 structural units within the glass matrix. These structural results can support the applications of as-developed glasses in the area of photonics.

Trivalent Ions and Their Impacts on Effective Conductivity at 300 K and Radio-Protective Behaviors of Bismo-Borate Glasses: A Comparative Investigation for Al, Y, Nd, Sm, Eu

We aimed to determine the contribution of various trivalent ions like Al and rare-earths (Y, Nd, Sm, Eu) on resistance behaviors of different types of bismo-borate glasses. Accordingly, eight different bismuth borate glasses from the system: 40Bi₂O₃–59B₂O₃–1Tv₂O₃ (where Tv = Al, Y, Nd, Sm, and Eu) and three glasses of (40Bi₂O₃–60B₂O₃; 37.5Bi₂O₃–62.5B₂O₃; and 38Bi₂O₃–60B₂O₃–2Al₂O₃) compositions were extensively investigated in terms of their nuclear attenuation shielding properties, along with effective conductivity and buildup factors. The Py-MLBUF online platform was also utilized for determination of some essential parameters. Next, attenuation coefficients, along with half and tenth value layers, have been determined in the 0.015 MeV–15 MeV photon energy range. Moreover, effective atomic numbers and effective atomic weight, along with exposure and energy absorption buildup factors, were determined in the same energy range. The result showed that the type of trivalent ion has a direct effect on behaviors of bismo-borate glasses against ionizing gamma-rays. As incident photon energy increases, the effective thermal conductivity decreases rapidly, especially in the low energy range, where photoelectric effects dominate the photon–matter interaction. Sample 8 had the minimum heat conductivity at low photon energies; our findings showed that Eu-reinforced bismo-borate glass composition, namely 40Bi₂O₃–59B₂O₃–1Eu₂O₃, with a glass density of 6.328 g/cm³ had superior gamma-ray attenuation properties. These outcomes would be useful for the scientific community to observe the most suitable additive rareearth type and related glass composition for providing the aforementioned shielding properties, in terms of needs and utilization requirements.

Radiation attenuation properties of B2O3-ZnO-Al2O3-Bi2O3-Sm2O3 glasses

The goal of this study is to examine theoretically radiation absorption properties of zinc alumino bismuth borate (BZnAlBiSm) glasses with chemical formula 60B2O3-9ZnO-(30-x)Al2O3-xBi2O3-1Sm2O3 where x = 5, 10, 15 and 20 mol%. The linear and mass attenuation coefficents of BZnAlBiSm glasses turn out as this trend BZnAlBiSm-1<BZnAlBiSm-2<BZnAlBiSm-3<BZnAlBiSm-4. The BZnAlBiSm-4 with the smallest half value layers, tenth value layers and mean free paths in the examined energy ranges has the superior radiation shielding characteristics among the BZnAlBiSm glasses. The BZnAlBiSm-4 glass has the highest radiation protection efficiency among the BZnAlBiSm glasses. The transmission factors increase as photon energy range enhances from 0.015 to 15 MeV and thickness declines from 2.5 to 0.5 cm. The energy buildup factors and energy absorption buildup factors of BZnAlBiSm glasses reduce from 15 to 1 mfp. Variation of the effective atomic number and effective electron density as a function of photon energy for BZnAlBiSm glasses are similar. The projected ranges of electron, proton, alpha and carbon for the BZnAlBiSm glasses increase as photon energy enlarges. The fast neutron removal cross sections of the BZnAlBiSm glasses vary in order of BZnAlBiSm-4<BZnAlBiSm-3<BZnAlBiSm-2<BZnAlBiSm-1. Thus, it can be concluded that BZnAlBiSm-1 has the highest neutron absorption ability among the BZnAlBiSm glasses.

Short-range structure, the role of bismuth and property-structure correlations in bismuth borate glasses

Bismuth-containing borate glasses, xBi2O3-(1 - x)B2O3, were synthesized in the broad composition range 0.20 ≤ x ≤ 0.80 by melting in Pt crucibles and splat-quenching between two metal blocks. Infrared reflectance spectra, measured in the range 30-5000 cm-1, were transformed into absorption coefficient spectra and then deconvoluted into component bands to probe the glass structure as a function of composition. Integrated intensities of bands above 800 cm-1 were used in combination with mass and charge balance equations to quantify the short-range borate structure in terms of the molar fractions X4m, X4o, X3, X2, X1 and X0 for borate units BØ4-, BØ2O23-, BØ3, BØ2O-, BØO22- and BO33-, where Ø and O- denote bridging and non-bridging oxygen atoms. Borate tetrahedral units were found to be present in both the meta-borate, BØ4-, and ortho-borate, BØ2O23-, forms with BØ4- constituting the dominating tetrahedral species for 0.20 ≤ x ≤ 0.70. The BØ2O23- units prevail at higher Bi2O3 levels (x > 0.7), and coexist with their isomeric triangular borate species BO33- (BØ2O23- ⇌ BO33-). The present IR results for the total molar fraction of borate tetrahedral units, X4 = X4m + X4o, are in very good agreement with reported NMR results for the fraction of boron atoms in four-fold coordination, N4. Besides evaluating X4m and X4o, the present work reports also for the first time the fractions of all types of triangular borate species X3-n with n = 0, 1, 2 and 3. The IR region below 550 cm-1 was found to be dominated by the Bi-O vibrational activity in coexisting ionic (160-230 cm-1) and distorted BiO6 sites (330-365 cm-1 and 475-510 cm-1), a result reflecting the dual role of Bi2O3 as glass-modifier and glass-former oxide. The latter role dominates in glasses exceeding 60 mol% Bi2O3, and is consistent with the extended glass formation in the bismuth-borate system. The structural results were used to calculate the average number of bridging B-Ø bonds per boron center, the average Bi-O and B-O single bond energy, and the atomic packing density of the studied glasses. These properties vary approximately linearly with Bi2O3 content in the three regimes 0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.4, 0.4 < x ≤ 0.6 and 0.6 < x ≤ 0.83, and contribute collectively to the composition dependence of glass transition temperature.

Optically transparent glass modified with metal oxides for X-rays and gamma rays shielding material

BACKGROUND

Metal oxide glass composites have attracted huge interest as promising shielding materials to replace toxic, heavy, and costly conventional shielding materials.

OBJECTIVE

In this work, we evaluate shielding effectiveness of four novel tellurite-based glasses samples doped with oxide metals (namely, A, B, C, and D, which are 75TeO2- 10P2O5- 10ZnO- 5PbF2- 0.24Er2O3 ; 70TeO2- 10P2O5- 10ZnO- 5PbF2 -5MgO- 0.24Er2O3; 70TeO2- 10P2O5- 10ZnO- 5PbF2- 5BaO- 0.24Er2O3 ; and 70TeO2- 10P2O5-10ZnO- 5PbF2- 5SrO; respectively) by assessing them through a wide range of ionizing radiation energies (0.015-15 MeV).

METHODS

The radiation-shielding parameters including mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), half-value layer (HVL), mean free path, (MFP), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron number (Neff), and the transmission factor are computed in the selected range of ionizing radiation energies. Furthermore, the proposed samples were compared with the most common shielding glass materials. The optical parameters viz oscillator, dispersion energy, nonlinear refractive indices, molar, and electronic polarizability of these transparent glasses are reported at different wavelengths.

RESULTS

The results show that the proposed samples have considerable effectiveness as transparent shielding glass materials at various ionizing radiation energies. They can be employed for effective radiation-protection outcomes. Sample C demonstrated slightly better shielding properties than the other samples with differences of 1.33%, 4.6%, and 4.2% for samples A, B, and D, respectively. A similar trend is observed regarding the mass attenuation coefficients. Nevertheless, sample B shows better optical properties than the other prepared glass samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that the proposed novel glass samples have good shielding properties and optical characteristics, which can pave the way for their utilization as transparent radiation-shielding materials in medical and industrial applications.

Effect of TiO2/V2O5 substitution on the optical and radiation shielding properties of alkali borate glasses: A Monte Carlo investigation

In this paper, we used Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the effect of TiO₂/V₂O₅ substitution on the radiation shielding properties of alkali borate glasses in the chemical form of 30Li₂O+55B₂O₃+5ZnO + xTiO₂+(10 - x)V₂O₅, where x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mol%. Also, the optical properties were examined by evaluating several factors such as molar refraction (R_m), metallization criterion (M), molar polarizability (α_m), dielectric coefficients (static and optical), optical transmission (T), and reflection loss (R_L). The radiation shielding properties of the tested glasses were estimated by determining the mass attenuation coefficient, and other related factors such as the tenth value layer (TVL), the mean free path (MFP), the electron total stopping powers (Ψ_e) and the electron continuous slowing down approximation range (CSDA) (Φ_e) for different energy values. The results of Geant4 Monte Carlo were compared with the theoretical values calculated by XCOM platform. The results revealed that the TiO₂/V₂O₅ substitution had a remarkable influence on the gamma shielding properties for the tested glasses. On the other hand, the optical properties slightly changed by the TiO₂/V₂O₅ substitution. The gamma shielding properties of the tested glasses were compared with many samples in terms of MFP. The present glasses showed superior features to apply for optical and radiation shielding applications.