Dual-purpose borate based glasses: optical features and Monte Carlo simulations of gamma radiation shielding

The study uses the melt quenching method for fabrication of a new series of borate based glasses according to the chemical formula of (9+x) PbO₂+20 BaO+11 CaO+ (60-x-y-z) B₂O₃+y Eu₂O₃+z Pr₆O₁₁; x = 0, 3, 6, and 9 mol% and y = z = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 mol%. The aforementioned borate-based glass series is being fabricated with the dual purpose of serving as radiation shielding and optical materials. The substitution of PbO₂, Eu₂O₃, and Pr₆O₁₁ for the B₂O₃ enhances the density of fabricated glasses (4.023–4.680 g/cm³) when the PbO₂+Eu₂O₃+Pr₆O₁₁ raised from concentrations of 9.5 mol% to 20 mol%. Increase in concentration of PbO₂+Eu₂O₃+Pr₆O₁₁ (9.5–20 mol.%) causes decrease in the energy band gap (direct transition) from 3.080 to 2.964 eV. The refractive index was enhanced (2.486–2.529) when the doping compounds were raised within the prepared glasses. The Monte Carlo simulation results over energy interval of 0.015–15 MeV showed that, increase in concentration of PbO₂+Eu₂O₃+Pr₆O₁₁ (9.5–20 mol%) enhances the LAC values from 6.899 to 9.690 cm⁻¹ (at 0.08 MeV), 0.248–0.293 cm⁻¹ (at 1 MeV), and 0.134–0.178 cm⁻¹ (at 15 MeV).