Impact of La2O3 reinforcement on the mechanical, and photon shielding properties of La2O3-B2O3 glass

Abstract

We aimed to explore the role of the La2O3 on the photon shielding effectiveness of La2O3-B2O3 glass systems for low energy range (13.81–160.6 keV). We found that the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) at 13.81 keV is varied between 46.79 and 52.17 cm2/g. We found that the MAC increases in the order from BLa15 to BLa35, which suggested that the insertion of La2O3 causes an enhancement in the MAC values. We also reported the linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) and we found that the LAC results are in line with the MAC results and the LAC follow the order of BLa15 > BLa20 > BLa25 > BLa30 > BLa35. The effective atomic numbers (Zeff) is also reported within the range 13.81–160.6 keV. The Zeff decreases between 13.81 and 35.8 keV, and a sudden increment in the Zeff is observed at 49.62 keV, then the Zeff continue in decreasing between 81 and 160.6 keV. The correlation between different shielding factors and the amount of La2O3 suggested the possibility of developing a new effective radiation shielding glasses, provided the utilization of high content of La2O3. On the other hand, the Makishima-Mackenzie model aids in estimating some essential mechanical moduli, including Young’s (E), bulk (B), shear (S), and longitudinal (L). All mechanical moduli behave in decreasing trend as the insertion ratio of La2O3 goes through 15–35 mol%. The E, B, S, and L reduce from 94.02 to 82.84, 59.80–52.69, 37.98–33.46, and 88.28–77.78 GPa in the respective order.