Unveiling the structural, optical, and electromagnetic attenuation characteristics of B2O3–SiO2–CaO–Bi2O3 glasses with varied WO3 content

Abstract

This study provides insight into B2O3–SiO2–CaO–Bi2O3 glasses where novel results for the effects of WO3 content on its structural and optical properties have been demonstrated. Thus, provides useful data for developing new glasses for optical and electromagnetic shielding applications. The effect of WO3 content on the structural and optical properties of B2O3–SiO2–CaO–Bi2O3 glasses was investigated along with radiation shielding features which have been calculated by XCOM program. BSCB/W-00, BSCB/W-2.5, BSCB/W-5.0, BSCB/W-7.5, BSCB/W-10, BSCB/W-15, and BSCB/W-20 refer to seven samples of bismuth borosilicate glass system doped with 0.0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, and 20% of WO3, respectively, synthesized using the melt quenching technique. The density of the glasses decreased with increasing WO3 content due to the replacement of Bi2O3 with lower-density WO3. It was found that the absorption coefficient decreased with increasing WO3 content up to 10 wt%, but showed an opposite trend for samples with higher WO3 content. The optical band gap and the transition type were affected as the WO3 content increased. The electromagnetic wave decay or skin depth was also calculated. Overall, the shielding effectiveness of investigated samples BSCB/W-00, BSCB/W-2.5, BSCB/W-5.0, BSCB/W-7.5, BSCB/W-10, BSCB/W-15, and BSCB/W-20 has reduced with the enlargement of the WO3 concentration. BSCB/W-00, out of all the samples tested, has the highest shielding efficiency.