Investigation of optical and radiation shielding properties in bismuth oxide-doped barium borate glasses

This study presents a novel exploration of barium borate glasses doped with bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) to simultaneously enhance their optical and radiation shielding properties. Using a melting-quenching technique, a series of glasses with compositions of (65-x)B₂O₃ + 5WO₃ + 20BaO + 10Na₂O + xBi₂O₃ (where x = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mol%) was produced. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) confirmed the amorphous nature of the samples, while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the conversion of trigonal [BO₃] to tetrahedral [BO₄] units in the glass structure. The incorporation of Bi₂O₃ led to a significant increase in density and molar volume. The optical band gap decreased from 3.96 eV to 3.30 eV with higher Bi₂O₃ concentrations. Notably, the refractive index also increased from 1.49 to 1.63 with the addition of Bi₂O₃. The elastic moduli (Young's modulus, shear modulus, and bulk modulus) decreased with increasing Bi₂O₃ content. Additionally, the analysis of radiation shielding effectiveness demonstrated that Bi₂O₃ significantly increased both the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) and linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), particularly for low-energy photon interactions, making these glasses suitable for applications involving gamma and X-ray radiation protection. The results establish the potential of Bi₂O₃-doped barium borate glasses as advanced materials for radiation shielding, photonic devices, and other optoelectronic applications.