Optical stability of 3d transition metal ions doped-cadmium borate glasses towards γ-rays interaction

This work reports the preparation of glasses of binary cadmium borate with the basic composition (mol% 45 CdO 55 B₂O₃) and samples of the same composition containing 0.2 wt% dopants of 3d transition metal (TM) oxides (TiO₂ → CuO). The glasses have been investigated by combined optical and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopic measurements before and after being subjected to gamma irradiation with a dose of 8 Mrad (8 × 104 Gy). Optical absorption of the undoped glass before irradiation reveals strong charge transfer UV absorption which is related to the presence of unavoidable contaminated trace iron impurities (mainly Fe³⁺) within the raw materials used for the preparation of the base cadmium borate glass. The optical spectra of the 3d TM ions exhibit characteristic bands which are related the stable oxidation state of the 3d TM ions within the host glass. Gamma irradiation produces some limited variations in the optical spectra due to the stability of the host glass containing high percent 45 mol% of heavy metal oxide (CdO) which causes some shielding effects towards irradiation. From the absorption edge data, the values of the optical band gap Eopt and Urbach energy (∆E) have been calculated. The values of the optical energy gap are found to be dependent on the glass composition. Infrared absorption spectral measurements reveal characteristic absorption bands due to both triangular and tetrahedral borate groups with the BO₃ units vibrations more intense than BO₄ units due to the known limit value for the change of BO₃ to BO₄ groups. The introduction of 3d TM ions with the doping level (0.2 wt%) causes no changes in the number or position of the IR bands because of the presence of TM ions in modifying sites in the glass network. It is observed that gamma irradiation causes some limited changes in the FT-IR spectral bands due to the stability of the host heavy cadmium borate glass. (author)