CdO-rich quaternary tellurite glasses for nuclear safety purposes: Synthesis and experimental gamma-ray and neutron radiation assessment of high-density and transparent samples

Abstract

We present the preparation phase and comprehensive analysis of nuclear radiation shielding characteristics of novel melt-quenched 20P2O5·30TeO2.(50-x)ZnO.xCdO (x = 0, 15, 20, 30, and 40 mol percent) quaternary-tellurite glasses. The primary objective is to compare the changes in nuclear radiation absorption qualities that come from maintaining high transparency and increasing the CdO contribution rate to maximum values, such as 40 mol%. Consequently, experimental gamma-ray and neutron transmission systems are used to investigate the monotonic impacts of increasing CdO reinforcement on the functioning of synthesized glasses utilizing the well-known melt-quenching method. For the determination of attenuation coefficients, a standard gamma-ray setup is used with an Ultra germanium detector and 133Ba radioisotope. In addition, using the Canberra NP-100B BF3 gas proportional detector, glass shields are bombarded with a 241Am/Be neutron source (10 mCi/4.5 MeV) using a gas proportional detector. The addition of 40% mole CdO to the basic composition of glass significantly improved the transition resistance to gamma and neutron radiation. Furthermore, it was shown that the degree of transparency in the C40 sample synthesized with a 40% CdO additive ratio was equivalent to that of an ideal transparent glass sample. Moreover, C40 sample had better gamma-ray attenuation properties than all other shielding materials (except for RS-520). According to the findings, C glasses have a greater capacity for neutron attenuation than investigated conventional moderators. It can be concluded that C glass family is an effective gamma-shield and neutron moderator for research and medical radiation applications.