G-T-B glass composition doped with different concentrations of cerium oxide: material fabrication, structural and optical characterization, and protective efficiency against γ-rays
摘要
The current work aims to examine the influence of CeO2 on the structural, optical, and γ-ray shielding performance of a dense germinate-tellurite-borate (G-T-B) glass system. Therefore, four transparent samples have been fabricated with a chemical formula (MgO)35(GeO2)10(TeO2)20(B2O3)(35-x)(CeO2)x; where x = 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mol%. X-ray diffraction was applied for examining the glasses’ structural nature. Additionally, the Makishima–Mackenzie model was utilized to examine the mechanical properties of the prepared glass system. The examinations show an increase in the hardness of the prepared glasses from 5.278 GPa to 5.512 GPa when the CeO2 concentration raised from 2.5 to 10 mol%, respectively. To study various related optical properties, UV absorption spectra in the 300–1100 nm wavelength range were reported. The refractive index increases from 2.553 to 2.629 when CeO2 content is added to the glass composition at concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 10 mol%. Additionally, the Monte Carlo simulation assesses γ-ray shielding performance over the 0.03–10 MeV energy range. The evaluations depict an increase in the linear attenuation coefficient throughout 17.183–24.577 cm−1 (0.05 MeV), 0.285–0.315 cm−1 (0.662 MeV), and 0.106–0.124 cm−1 (10 MeV) when the CeO2 concentration rose throughout 2.5–10 mol%. Additionally, the CeO2 concentration increase within the prepared glasses is accompanied by an enhancement in all other shielding parameters, which makes the prepared glasses suitable for γ-ray shielding applications.