Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Radiation Physics and Chemistry, cilt.233, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Lead borate glasses with compositions of 80PbO-(20-x)B2O3-xTeO2, where 0 ≤ x ≤ 5 mol% (denoted as PBT0, PBT1, PBT2, PBT3, PBT4, and PBT5), were synthesised using the melt-quenching method. This study investigates the influence of TeO2 addition on the optical, structural, and gamma shielding properties of these glasses. The presence of a minor crystalline phase was qualitatively examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Optical properties were analysed based on variations in refractive index, transmittance, and band gap energy, while changes in structural units were explored using Raman spectroscopy. Gamma shielding performance was evaluated both experimentally and theoretically using the Phy-X/PSD and WINXCOM software. The primary objective was to assess the effect of partially substituting B2O3 with TeO2 and to determine how the formation of a minor crystalline phase influences the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), and exposure buildup factor (EBF). The results indicate that all glasses, except for PBT5, exhibit good transparency. Increasing the TeO2 content enhanced the refractive index from 1.66 to 2.08 and increased the density from 6.47 to 7.47 g/cm3. The high LAC values and low HVL, MFP, and EBF values across various gamma photon energies confirm the excellent shielding capability of these glasses. For instance, at a gamma photon energy of 0.661 MeV, the LAC values for PBT0, PBT1, PBT2, PBT3, PBT4, and PBT5 are 0.6899, 0.7124, 0.7581, 0.7626, 0.7577, and 0.7901 cm−1, respectively, while their corresponding HVL values range from 1.01 cm (PBT0) to 0.88 cm (PBT5). These values are comparable to those of lead, a conventional gamma shielding material. Overall, these findings suggest that the investigated lead borate glasses have strong potential as alternative transparent materials for gamma radiation shielding applications.