Optical and gamma-ray absorption features of newly developed P2O5-Ce2O3-La2O3 glass system

This paper reports the influence of La2O3 addition on the optical and photon shielding properties of 75P(2)O(5) - (25-x)Ce2O3 -xLa(2)O(3) (where x = 0, 5, 10, and 15 mol% coded as PCL-A, PCL-B, PCL-C, and PCL-D, respectively). The optical features of the P2O5-Ce2O3:La2O3 glass system were studied by determining several parameters such as optical transmission (T) and optical dielectric constant (epsilon(optical)). Using FLUKA simulations, the photon shielding parameters of the glass samples were estimated and analysed for photon energies in the range 284-2510 keV. The shielding parameters include the self-attenuation coefficients (C-f), transmission factors, linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), and radiation protection efficiency (RPE). LAC values were enhanced as La2O3 content of the glasses increased. Based on the estimated parameters, the RPE of the glasses follows the sequence: (RPE)(PCL-A) < (RPE)(PCL-B) < (RPE)(PCL-C) < (RPE)(PCL-D). A comparison of the shielding effectiveness of the investigated glasses with some contemporary shields reveals that the PCL glasses show superior photon absorption capacity which makes them potential candidates for photon shielding applications.

Automated summary

This study investigates the influence of La2O3 addition on the optical and photon shielding properties of glasses, demonstrating that the linear attenuation coefficient and radiation protection efficiency of the glasses increase with higher La2O3 content. The glasses exhibit superior photon absorption capacity compared to contemporary shields, making them potential candidates for photon shielding applications.