A comprehensive investigation on the role of PbO in the structural and radiation shielding attribute of P2O5–CaO–Na2O–K2O–PbO glass system

Abstract

This study presents the synthesis, physical, structural and gamma-ray shielding characteristics of 40P2O5–20CaO–(30−x)Na2O−10K2O–xPbO (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 mol%) glasses. The glass samples coded as PbCKNP1, PbCKNP2, PbCKNP3, PbCKNP4, and PbCKNP5 were prepared using the melt quench method. Na2O substitution by PbO influenced the molar volume and mass density of the glasses. Structural analysis of the glasses using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed amorphous structure. The photon shielding parameters of the glasses examined via the Monte Carlo simulation code (MCNP-5) revealed that the glasses' shielding ability improved as PbO content increased. The highest simulated linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) achieved at 0.015 MeV increased from 21.46 to 159.07 cm−1 as the PbO concentration increased from 0 and 20 mol%. The LAC for all fabricated glass samples showed an exponential reduction trend with gamma photon energy. Based on the simulated LAC values, calculated mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half-value layer (HVL), transmission factor (TF), and radiation shielding capacity (RSC), PbCKNP5 possessed the best gamma-ray protection ability among the investigated glasses. Furthermore, the calculated shielding parameters of the PbCKNP glasses showed that they possess a good potential for radiation shielding applications.