Preparation and properties of strong gamma ray shielding and irradiation resistant glass

Abstract

CeO2 doped lead silicate glasses samples were prepared by high temperature melting method. The structural, thermal and optical properties of the glasses were characterized by density, expansion coefficient, XPS and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Additionally, the related theoretical work was carried out for verification. The changes in structure and optical properties of the glass before and after irradiation were investigated. The influence mechanism of different content of CeO2 (PbO) on the structure and properties of shielding glass was discussed. By comparing the three transmittance conversion formulas, it is found that the characteristic coefficient can be further calculated if the transmissivity with varied thicknesses is known. This coefficient method allows for accurate calculation of transmittance for glasses with arbitrary thicknesses while demonstrating experimental validation. The accuracy improves as more measured values of transmittance for glasses with different thicknesses are obtained and as more iterations of characteristic coefficients are performed. This method is suitable for both scientific research and production practice. The test results show that the transmittance of the glass with 45 wt% PbO and 2 wt% CeO2 content is above 60 % in the wavelength range of 400–800 nm before irradiation and decreased less than 10 % after irradiation. The measured shielding rate of 60Co gamma rays can reach more than 51 %. The calculated transmittance of 300 mm thickness glass is greater than 50 %. The superior gamma ray shielding capability along with its radiation resistance make this glass provide key support for window materials used in various fields such as nuclear industry, aerospace, military and medicine.