Optical and spectral features of new Borax/ Li2O glass systems and calculation of radiation shielding attenuation parameters

Abstract

Borax/Li₂O glass compositions were prepared by the common melting-quenching technique. The XRD pattern displayed the amorphous natures and the glassy states of the samples. The detected UV absorption peaks at 225 and 256 nm revealed a slight increase in absorbance intensity after exposing glasses to 60 kGy of gamma radiation, in addition to shifting of the cut-off peak from 270 to 282 nm. Optical energy band gap (Eopt) and density values exhibit a similar behavior either because of the continual addition of Borax content or by irradiation. Infrared transmittance spectra (FTIR) displayed the main vibrational bands of tetrahedral BO₄ groups at 800–1200 cm⁻¹ and the vibrational bands of trigonal borate units BO₃ at 1200–1600 cm⁻¹. After irradiation, the spectra revealed an acceptable structural stability against irradiation. Optical and structural studies obtain a positive effect on the desired glass features by the increase of the former boron content at the expense of the decrease of the modifier Li₂O content. Different theoretical radiation shielding parameters were investigated for Borax glass composites using Phy-X/PSD, MCNP-4C2, MRCScal, NGcal, Py-MBLUF, Auto-Z_eff, and GRASP programs, such as mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half value layer (HVL), effective atomic number (Z_eff), effective conductivity (C_eff), the equivalent atomic number (Z_eq)_, the effective electron density (N_eff), absorption gamma dose rate (Dr), and the transmission factors for gamma-ray, fast, and thermal neutrons (TF). Fast neutron removal cross section (Σ_R), macroscopic removal cross section (MRCS), and macroscopic cross section of slow and epithermal neutrons were also calculated. The overall shielding parameters revealed agreement in results between the used programs, where increasing the concentration of Borax caused an improvement in MAC values and increasing of FNRCS, MRCS, and Σ_(slow), and Σ_(epithermal) for fast, slow, and epithermal neutrons were observed. The obtained results for optical, structural, and simulation shielding indicate that the glass containing the highest borax content has the highest optical, structural stability, Eopt, and density values, as well as the highest attenuation parameters for both gamma-rays and neutrons at different energies. Dr values increase as the Borax percentage concentration content increases. The study recommends the hopeful use of the investigated Borax/Li₂O glasses as transparent materials in radiotherapy and diagnostic applications.