Structural and gamma ray shielding behavior of dual heavy metal oxide doped magnesium sodium borate glasses

The dual heavy metal oxide doped magnesium sodium borate glasses were fabricated using the melt quenching method. Bismuth concentration increases the density of current samples from 3.833 to 4.283 gcm⁻³. The amorphous nature is confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, which shows no obvious peak. This information is provided by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) peaks and bands, which may be used to identify samples' bending and stretching vibrations. Using EpiXS software, the radiation shielding parameters of four samples were determined for energies of 444, 678, 689, 779, 867, 964, 1005, and 1086 keV. The results demonstrated that when a portion of B₂O₃ is replaced with Bi₂O₃, the sample's radiation shielding efficacy improves. The TVL results showed that 8.37 cm of sample A4 can reduce the intensity of 1086 keV by 90 %, whereas 9.52 cm of sample A1 is required to reduce the intensity by the same amount. Sample A4, which has the most Bi₂O₃, has the lowest TVL, making it the best radiation shield. (author)