Direct influence of mercury oxide on structural, optical and radiation shielding properties of a new borate glass system

A series of barium sodium borate glasses of chemical composition (60-x) B2O3 + 20Na(2)O(2) + 20BaCO(3) + x HgO, (where x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, and 15 wt%) doped with mercury oxide was synthesized. The melt-quenching method was used to synthesize the glass series at 1100 degrees C for melting and 60 min for annealing at 300 degrees C. X-ray diffraction was used to study the structure of the synthesized samples at room temperature between 10 degrees and 70 degrees. We used a Tensor Model 27 FTIR spectrometer to show the absorption bands of the OH-, Ba+2, Hg+2, and other borate groups between 400-5000 cm(-1) with a resolution of 4 cm(-1). A UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer was applied to estimate the optical properties of the synthesized glasses. The ability of the synthesized glasses to attenuate ionizing radiation was examined using a Monte Carlo simulation (MCNP code) and the Phys-X program. Shielding factors such as the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half value layer, mean free path, effective atomic number, and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) were evaluated. The effect of HgO and the energy of the photons on these parameters were discussed. The results showed that increasing the amount of HgO improved the gamma ray shielding capacity. The glass with a high amount of HgO (15 wt%) had the best shielding properties among the synthesized glasses.