FTIR, UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy, and gamma rays shielding competence of novel ZnO-doped vanadium borophosphate glasses

Structural, optical, and gamma radiation safety properties of 46V₂O₅·46P₂O₅·(8–x)B₂O₃·xZnO (x = 0,2,4,6, and 8 mol%) abbreviated as VPB/Zn glasses were investigated. The structure of the synthesized glasses has been examined via FTIR spectra within the range of 400–1500 cm⁻¹ at room temperature. UV–Vis–NIR measurements of the proposed glasses were performed within the range of 200–3300 nm. The optical characteristics such as optical energy bandgap (\(E_{{{\text{Optical}}}}\)), refractive index (n^Linear), and Urbach’s energy (E_U) have been determined. In addition, the mass attenuation coefficients (MAC) for VPB/Zn glasses were performed utilizing MCNP-5 simulation code and XCOM program for various gamma ray energy varied in range 0.015–15 MeV. Based on MAC values, the equivalent atomic number (Z_eq) and buildup factors (EABF and EBF) were evaluated. Results reveal that the direct \(E_{{{\text{Optical}}}}^{{{\text{Tauc}}^{\prime } {\text{s}}}}\) of the VPB/Zn glasses ranged from 0.688 to 0.710 eV, while from 0.560 to 0.647 eV for the indirect transition. The admission of the ZnO improves the MAC of the VPB/Zn glasses. Thus, one can conclude that the proposed glasses can be applied for optical devices as semiconductor glasses and considered as good materials for γ-rays shielding.