Synthesis, Optical Absorption and Radiation Shielding Performance of Sodium Zinc Borate-Er₂O₃ Glasses

Borate glasses with chemical composition 55 B₂O₃-10 ZnO-x Er₂O₃–(35-x) Na₂O mol.%, (where x = 0, 2 and 4 mol.%) were prepared by conventional melt-quenching. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy were used to characterize the structural and optical properties of the prepared samples. XRD analysis confirms the amorphous nature of these glasses. The density and the molar volume of the prepared glasses were determined. Optical absorption measurements reveal 11 bands corresponding to electronic transitions in Er³⁺ ion from the ground state ⁴I_15/2 to excited levels. Mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) values were calculated as a function of different photon energies using Phy-X database software. Other shielding parameters such as the half value layer (HVL), the tenth value layer (TVL) and the effective atomic number Zeff were extracted from the determined mass attenuation coefficient (MAC). The results show that MAC increases with the increase in Er₂O₃ content and decreases with increasing photon energy. The results of this work indicate that the content of Er₂O₃ is responsible for the attenuation enhancement and that the novel glass prepared in this study holds great promise for future radiation shielding applications.