Recent developments in radiation shielding glass studies: A mini-review on various glass types

Abstract

Glass is an essential category of materials because of its inherent transparency, which sets it apart from many other material systems. Due to its unique characteristics, radiation shielding applications have begun implementing it, particularly when optical clarity is required. Researchers have been compelled to examine glass materials that offer optimal performance in radiation shielding against high photon energy and particles. The literature has encompassed various papers examining many types of glass and their responses to ranged energy levels. This mini-review aims to demonstrate the glass systems that have been reviewed and their respective radiation shielding characteristics against photon energies. To achieve this objective, the publication numbers for radiation shielding materials and glass were initially collected over several years from the widely utilized Web of Science (WoS) database. Subsequently, the glass systems that were primarily examined in the context of radiation shielding glass investigations were identified and classified as borate (B), germanate (G), phosphate (P), silicate (S), tellurite (T), and waste (W). The current trajectory of these glass systems has been illustrated over the years. After providing a broad description, each glass system was examined using an approach that involved sorting based on the highest-citation and newest-first criteria. Five publications were selected for each way, and then the chemical composition, density, and linear attenuation coefficient at 662 keV were obtained. Furthermore, the Phy-X/PSD software facilitated the comprehension of the attenuation properties of the glass systems at energy levels of 1173 and 1332 keV. Plus, some computations aided in understanding variations in exposure build-up factors (EBF). As demonstrated by the published data, there has been a significant rise in the number of publications on radiation shielding materials and glass investigations, especially in the last five years. In another development, there has been a recent push towards lead-free glass systems, even though inserting PbO into the glass composition can achieve a high-density value, namely higher than 5 g/cm3. Among the several glass systems of interest, T-glass has emerged as a notable choice for photon energies due to its high-density glass formulation while also being free of lead content. The T-glass series had LAC values (at 1173 keV) ranging from 0.28 to 0.35 cm−1, whereas the B, G, P, S, and W- glass series showed changes between 0.13 and 0.36, 0.17 and 0.39, 0.16 and 0.28, 0.16 and 0.35, and 0.12 and 0.25 cm−1 respectively. It is also essential to acknowledge that W- glass systems have gained popularity from sustainability perspective. Yet, W- glass systems have been found effective against low photon energies. Hence, this concise evaluation strongly highlights the significant potential of T-glass and W- glass systems for future research, owing to the facts that both systems facilitate low-melting temperatures, reduced carbon emissions, and easy preparation while also offering promising radiation shielding properties.