Investigation of Structural, Thermal Properties and Shielding Parameters of Borosilicate Glasses Doped with Dy3+/ Tb3+ Ions for Gamma and Neutron Radiation Shielding Applications

Abstract

In this study, borosilicate host (H) and seven (S1-S7) samples are prepared by traditional melt-quenching technique. The samples are singly (S1, S2) and doubly (S3-S7) doped with deferent contents of Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ ions. All samples are analyzed and characterized by XRD (x-ray diffraction), ATR-FTIR (Attenuated total Reflectance-Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy, TGA/DSC (Thermogravimetric analysis/Differential scanning calorimetry), and Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, the radiation shielding parameters of mentioned glasses such as mass attenuation (?/?), mean free path (MFP), and half-value layer (HVL) are evaluated within the energy of 0.015MeV-15MeV. These parameters are theoretically investigated and evaluated by using XCOM, WINXCOM, and Phy-X programs in addition to the other relevant equations. The ATR-FTIR measurement and Raman spectroscopy results confirmed the unit structure of BO₃ and BO₄ groups as the main compound as well as the Aluminum-oxide (Al-O-Al) and zinc-oxide (ZnO₄) bonds. The transition (T_g), onset crystallization (T_x), crystallization (T_c) temperatures, and weight loss were identified from DSC and TGA findings, respectively. Also, the prepared glass shows good stability against crystallization, as reflected by (?T) variation. Furthermore, the radiation shielding parameter findings show good enhancement of the performance of the samples. However, upon these findings, one can say that these glasses could be used and utilized for radiation shielding purposes.