Manganese-driven evolution: tuning optical and radiation shielding properties in advanced lithium borophosphate-sulfide glasses

Abstract

In this study, a sulfur-containing lithium borophosphate glass system, 48 Li₂B₄O₇ + (50 − x) P₂O₅ + x Mn₂O₃ + 2S (x = 0–4 mol%), was prepared by the melt-quenching technique to investigate the effect of Mn₂O₃ incorporation on its structural, optical, and gamma-ray shielding properties. Structural modifications were examined by FTIR spectroscopy in the rang 4000 –400 cm^− 1, while optical properties were evaluated from UV–Vis measurements in the 200–750 nm range. Gamma-ray attenuation parameters were calculated using the XCOM database. Increasing Mn₂O₃ content results in higher glass density and systematic modifications of the borate–phosphate network, including an increase in the relative BO₃ contribution. The optical band gaps decrease with increasing Mn₂O₃ content, whereas the Urbach energy increases, indicating enhanced localized disorder and modification of the electronic structure. At 0.662 MeV, the mass attenuation coefficient increases from 0.0817 to 0.0906 cm²/ g, while the half-value layer decreases from 3.67 to 3.17 cm. These results demonstrate that Mn₂O₃ incorporation provides an effective means of tuning the structural, optical, and radiation-shielding characteristics of sulfur-containing lithium borophosphate glasses, highlighting their potential for multifunctional optical and transparent radiation-shielding applications.