Cerium oxide-reinforced Fe2O3–Na2O–SiO2–B2O3 glass matrix for protection against ionizing X and gamma rays

Abstract

Radiation shielding glass is an interesting material in the field of radiation shielding due to its remarkable features. In the present paper, we investigated the physical properties of radiation-shielding glass materials that consist of sodium oxide (Na2O), cerium oxide (CeO2), and iron oxide (Fe2O3) incorporated into borosilicate glasses with the formula 90SiO2-(70-x)B2O3+ 20Na2O–1Fe2O3-xCeO2 (CeFeNaBS-glasses). One of the distinguishing characteristics of this glass system is its enhanced radiation shielding capabilities. The structural studies indicated a gradual rise in glass density from 1.954 to 2.658 g/cm with further CeO2 doping. Optical studies showed that the optical band gaps went down from 3.41 eV to 3.33 eV as the amount of CeO2 in the CeFeNaBS-glass matrix rose. The decrease in optical band gap has been correlated with the rising basicity. Also, the increased basicity behavior induces more conversion of Ce3+ to Ce4+ ions by losing a 4f electron. Moreover, with further CeO2 additions, the glass color changed from light brown to dark brown. The presence of Ce4+ ions with further CeO2 additions is responsible for this color transformation. The linear and non-linear refractive indices exhibit enhanced behaviors with higher CeO2 concentrations. We used declining basicity and polarizability behaviors to describe this behavior. The incorporation of larger CeO2 concentrations enhances the ability to improve radiation shielding properties, as demonstrated by the increased values of the mass attenuation coefficient and half-value layer, especially in the energy ranges of soft tissues X-ray and hard tissues X-ray. Hence, the investigated CeFeNaBS-glasses exhibit enhanced transparency and radiation shielding capabilities, rendering them highly suitable for implementation in this domain.