Investigated mechanical, physical parameters and Gamma-Neutron radiation shielding of the rare earth (Er2O3/CeO2) doped barium borate glass: Role of the melting time and temperature

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of CeO2/Er2O3, melting time, and temperature on the physical, radiation shielding, and mechanical properties of a glass composition. Specifically, we examined a glass composition comprising of 60B2O3-(40-X) BaO-XMO (where MO- Er2O3/CeO2 and X = 0.5,1.0,1.5 mol percentage). To assess the radiation shielding capabilities of the glass structure, we conducted theoretical evaluations including determining the mass Attenuation Coefficients (MAC), Fast Neutron Removal Cross-Section (FNRCS), and Mean Free Path (MFP). Furthermore, the study involved investigating the mechanical properties of borate glasses with CeO2 and Er2O3 doping, specifically examining Young's modulus, Bulk modulus, Shear modulus, and Longitudinal modulus. The obtained results were then compared. In order to determine the radiation shielding parameters, the Phy-X/PSD program and Geant4 simulation were utilized, covering an energy range from 0 to 10 MeV. The results indicate that there is strong agreement between the Phy-X/PSD and Monte Carlo simulation results for MAC values for glass samples. Our research suggests that these glasses have superior radiation shielding capabilities compared to commonly used materials for blocking radiation. This suggests that these glasses have great potential for use as effective shielding materials in radiation protection applications. It was observed that doping 1.5 mol% of Er2O3 in the lowest temperature and the longest time decreased the reflectivity of the gamma rays of the barium borate glass compared to the doping 1.5 mol% of CeO2.