Mechanical and Gamma Ray Absorption Behavior of PbO-WO3-Na2O-MgO-B2O3 Glasses in the Low Energy Range

The Makishima and Mackenzie model has been used to determine the mechanical properties of the PbO-WO3-Na2O-MgO-B2O3 glass system. The number of bonds per unit volume of the glasses (n(b)) increases from 9.40 x 10(22) to 10.09 x 10(22) cm(-3) as the PbO content increases from 30 to 50 mol%. The Poisson's ratio (sigma) for the examined glasses falls between 0.174 and 0.210. The value of the fractal bond connectivity (d) for the present glasses ranges from 3.08 to 3.59. Gamma photon and fast neutron shielding parameters were evaluated via Phy-X/PSD, while that of electrons were calculated via the ESTAR platform. Analysis of the parameters showed that both photon and electron attenuation ability improve with the PbO content. The fast neutron removal cross section of the glasses varies from 0.094-0.102 cm(-1) as PbO molar content reduced from 50-30 mol%. Further analysis of shielding parameters of the investigated glass system showed that they possess good potential to function in radiation protection applications.

Automated summary

The mechanical properties of the PbO-WO3-Na2O-MgO-B2O3 glass system were investigated using the Makishima and Mackenzie model, revealing an increase in number of bonds and improvements in photon and electron attenuation abilities with higher PbO content. The study also showed variations in Poisson's ratio and fast neutron removal cross section with changing PbO content, highlighting the potential of the glass system for radiation protection applications.