Influence of BaO addition on gamma attenuation and radiation shielding performance of SiO2-B2O3-SrO-ZrO2 glasses

Abstract

The present research paper aims to investigate the influence of BaO on the radiation attenuation of SiO₂-B₂O₃-SrO-ZrO₂. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) and the other related factors of the glasses for gamma-rays are calculated using the WinXCOM photon cross section database. Barium oxide (BaO) is added to the base glass composition, SiO₂-B₂O₃-SrO-ZrO₂, and then the enhancement of its radiation shielding capabilities is assessed. The results showcased that the gamma attenuation ability decrease as energy increases due to the different mechanisms of photon interactions at various energy regions. However, there is a significant increase in the attenuation competence of the studied glasses during the substitution of SrO oxide by BaO. For example, the highest effective atomic number (Z_eff) is observed for the SiBBSZ3 sample, with the addition of 40 BaO mol%, with the value of 46.758 at 0.015 MeV. Therefore, the attenuation properties can be tailored by adjusting the relative concentrations of the constituting glass oxides such as BaO and SrO. Furthermore, the shielding properties of the studied glasses surpass those of numerous conventional concretes and recently developed glasses, showcasing its potential in radiation shielding. Such obtained results may help to develop effective and low-cost radiation shielding glass compositions based on abundantly available raw materials.