Optical Properties and Gamma Radiation Shielding Capability of Transparent Barium Borosilicate Glass Composite

In this study, both radiation shielding capability and optical properties of prepared SiO2-ZnO-Na2CO3-H3BO3-BaCO3 glass composite with different concentrations of barium carbonate (0-30 mol%) have been studied. Gamma attenuation properties, such as the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), mean free path (MFP), and exposure build-up factor (EBF), are experimentally and theoretically investigated. The detected XRD patterns for the prepared glass composites confirm their amorphous nature. It is evident from the obtained data that all tested parameters, such as mass density, molar volume, refractive index, dielectric constant, refraction loss (%), and molar refraction, have been increased as BaCO3 mol% increased. At the same time, the results of the optical bandgap show a gradual decrease with increasing barium concentration. It was also found that the mass attenuation coefficients increased with BaCO3 concentration from 0.078 at zero mol% BaCO3 to 0.083 cm(2)/g at 30 mol%. Moreover, the half-value layer (HVL) and the exposure build-up factor (EBF) up to 40 mfp penetration depth were investigated in addition to the effective atomic number (Z(eff)) and the corresponding equivalent atomic number (Z(eq)) at the energy range of 0.015-15 MeV. The produced glass composite might be considered for many shielding applications based on the obtained results that require a transparent shielding material.

Automated summary

This study investigates the radiation shielding capability and optical properties of a SiO2-ZnO-Na2CO3-H3BO3-BaCO3 glass composite with varying concentrations of barium carbonate. Experimental and theoretical analysis shows that as the concentration of BaCO3 increases, parameters such as mass density, refractive index, and dielectric constant also increase. However, the optical bandgap decreases with increasing barium concentration. The results also demonstrate that the mass attenuation coefficients increase with BaCO3 concentration. The study suggests that the prepared glass composite could be suitable for transparent shielding applications.