Structural and radiation shielding properties of chromium oxide doped borosilicate glass

Chromium oxide (Cr2O3)-doped borosilicate (BS) glasses were prepared by melt quenching of mechanically alloyed Cr2O3 and BS powders. The structural properties of the BS glass doped with different amounts of Cr2O3 (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 3, and 5 wt%) were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. In addition, the radiation shielding properties of the Cr2O3-doped BS glasses were determined at photon energies in the range of 22.10-59.54 keV using an HPGe detector with a resolution of 182 eV at 5.9 keV. The XRD analyses showed that BS glass samples containing 0-1 wt% Cr2O3 were completely amorphous, whereas at Cr2O3 contents > 1 wt%, eskolaite (Cr2O3) crystal phase was observed. Furthermore, the BS glass sample containing 5 wt% Cr2O3 shielded X and gamma radiations more effectively than other samples.