Basicity, Optical Features, and Neutron/Charged Particle Attenuation Characteristics of P₂O₅-As₂O₃-PbO Glasses Doped with Tungsten Ions

A glass system of composition 3As₂O₃-37PbO-(60-x) P₂O₅-xWO₃ (\(0\le x\le \) 5 mol%) was synthesized using a conventional melt-quenching method. The characteristics of the optical properties were studied in detail by measuring the absorbance and transmittance spectra of the synthesized glass. The indirect optical band gap decreased from 4.55 eV to 4.33 eV, while the direct band gap decreased from 4.88 eV to 4.76 eV. The Urbach energy varied between 0.55 eV and 0.42 eV. The results obtained for the optical energy band gap and the refractive index demonstrated a slight increase with an increase in tungsten ions in the prepared samples. Basicity, electronegativity, polarizability, metallization, and physical characteristics were estimated based on the obtained results. The refractive index and optical band gap were estimated theoretically by determining the optical basicity and molar refractivity. The half-value layer (HVL) and mean free path (MFP) were estimated and were found to decrease with an increase in tungstate ions in the fabricated glasses. The electron number density (N_eff) and effective conductivity (C_eff) were determined as follows: (N_eff, C_eff)_W0% < (N_eff, C_eff)_W1% < (N_eff, C_eff)_W2% < (N_eff, C_eff)_W3% < (N_eff, C_eff)_W5%. Our findings confirmed that the PPA glass containing W ions could provide a superior material for use as a gamma attenuation shield.