Influence of rare-earth ions on the radiation protection ability of some optical glasses containing Bi2O3 and SiO2

Objective: This study probed the gamma ray shielding functionality of some rare earth doped bismuth-silicate glasses (BS). The mass attenuation coefficient MAC of pure BS (BS-Pure) and those with 2.5 mol% of Bi2O3 substituted with CeO2 (BS-Ce), Nd2O3 (BS-Nd), Sm2O3 (BS-Sm), and Eu2O3 (BS-Eu) was estimated. Method: The experimental values of glass density and molar volume were systematically used to evaluate the radiation shielding properties of the studied optical glasses. The MAC was computed for photon energies between 0.015 and 15 MeV by employing Monte Carlo simulation and Phy-X software. MAC values were then used to extract all the other related parameters. Results: MAC computed via the two approached agrees well within 1.9%. MAC of the glasses fluctuates between 0.041 and 100.044 cm(2) g(-1) for BS-Pure; 0.041 - 98.725 cm(2) g(-1) for BS-Ce; 0.041 - 99.249 cm(2) g(-1) for BS-Nd; 0.04 - 99.335 cm(2) g(-1) for BS-Sm; and 0.041 - 99.061 cm(2) g(-1) for BS-Eu. Also, the effective atomic number of the glasses were within the range of 38.707-81.874 for BS-Pure, 38.397-81.509 for BS-Ce, 38.377-81.366 for BS-Nd, 38.402-81.366 for BS-Sm and 38.414-81.368 for BS-Eu. Conclusion: Compared to traditional photon shields such as concrete, RS-360 commercial glasses, recently investigated heavy glasses, polymer and rocks, the BS-X glasses displayed superior shielding potential. The BS-X glasses thus could function well in gamma radiation shielding technology.

Automated summary

This study explored the gamma ray shielding properties of rare earth doped bismuth-silicate glasses, estimating the mass attenuation coefficient for different compositions. The results showed that these glasses exhibited superior shielding potential compared to other traditional photon shields, indicating their potential for gamma radiation shielding technology.