Structural investigation and effect of gamma-ray irradiation on barium borate glasses containing vanadium oxide

Abstract

This work investigates the structural changes induced in barium borate glasses by gamma irradiation doses and vanadium doping using FTIR spectroscopic technique. Binary Barium borate parent glass and samples of the same composition containing different concentrations of vanadium oxide with formula xV2O5-(65-x)B2O3-35BaO (x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) were synthesized by melt quenching technique. FTIR spectroscopy approves the formation of both BO3 trigonal and BO4 tetrahedral structural units within the network backbone. V2O5 additions lead to borate network depolymerization by breaking B-O-B bonds and increasing V2O5 content causes systematic reductions in boroxol rings and B-O-B linkages, indicating disruption of the borate network. Gamma irradiation also damages the borate structure by cleaving B-O-B bonds in boroxol rings and BO3 units. This progressively converts BO3 to BO4 groups. Infrared spectroscopy reveals decreases in BO3 vibrations at higher doses as the network degrades. The radiation-induced network damage leads to changes in glass properties including thermal stability and hardness. A clearer understanding of borate structural modifications helps target these glasses for optical devices with controlled properties.