Commercial Glass Research Articles

Volume nanogratings inscribed by ultrafast IR laser in alumino-borosilicate glasses.

Self-assembled nanogratings, inscribed by femtosecond laser writing in volume, are demonstrated in multicomponent alkali and alkaline earth containing alumino-borosilicate glasses. The laser beam pulse duration, pulse energy, and polarization, were varied to probe the nanogratings existence as a function of laser parameters. Moreover, laser-polarization dependent form birefringence, characteristic of nanogratings, was monitored through retardance measurements using polarized light microscopy. Glass composition was found to drastically impact the formation of nanogratings. For a sodium alumino-borosilicate glass, a maximum retardance of 168 nm (at 800 fs and 1000 nJ) could be measured. The effect of composition is discussed based on SiO2 content, B2O3/Al2O3 ratio, and the Type II processing window is found to decrease as both (Na2O + CaO)/Al2O3 and B2O3/Al2O3 ratios increase. Finally, an interpretation in the ability to form nanogratings from a glass viscosity viewpoint, and its dependency with respect to the temperature, is demonstrated. This work is brought into comparison with previously published data on commercial glasses, which further indicates the strong link between nanogratings formation, glass chemistry, and viscosity.

High-efficiency plasmonic luminescent solar concentrators based on thiol-ene polymer

Advances in solar energy harvesting technology require innovative approaches to meet the growing energy demand. In this work, we exploit the plasmonic interaction of metal nanoparticles with fluorophores to improve the optical performance of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). The plasmonic luminescent solar concentrators (PLSCs) with dimensions of 5 cm × 5 cm × 0.5 cm containing CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are fabricated, characterized, and evaluated systematically. As the Au NPs concentration increases, the optical performance of PLSCs exhibits, first enhancement, and then diminishment. When the Au NPs concentration is 2 × 10−4 wt%, the optimal external quantum efficiency, optical conversion efficiency, and power conversion efficiency of the PLSC reach 1.58%, 2.90%, and 0.437%, respectively. At higher concentrations of Au NPs, the non-radiative energy transfer from the CsPbBr3 QDs to the Au NPs leads to a decrease of the emission, which can be confirmed by the decreasing lifetime of the QDs. The overall optical performance of PLSCs depends on two competing effects, excitation rate and non-radiative energy transfer efficiency. Furthermore, the PLSC demonstrate the good aesthetic quality as an excellent substitute for commercial glass. We anticipate that the high optical conversion efficiency of PLSCs based on thiol-ene polymer would shed light on future application in LSCs.

Variable-Capacitance Sensor to Measure the Evaporation Rate and Lifetime of Microliter Droplets

This article presents a variable-capacitance sensor for sessile droplet evaporation rate and lifetime measurements. The sensor consists of a plane-parallel-electrode capacitor with a commercial glass substrate inserted within. The glass substrate has a concave cavity at its center to deposit a liquid droplet for its measurement. An air gap is left between the substrate and the upper electrode to allow for the droplet’s evaporation. The main advantage of this configuration is that it fixes the position and geometric shape of the droplet. An analytical model based on the local-height approximation is developed to calculate the capacitance of the device, with and without a liquid droplet. Its validity is initially tested comparing with finite element calculations. Then, using the analytical model we simulate the capacitance signal during the evaporation of a sessile droplet and compare it with experimental results finding very good correspondence. The differential capacitance signal follows closely the volumetric changes of the droplet. The evaporation kinetics and lifetime of 3.5 ± 0.1 microliter droplets of ethanol and methanol mixtures are presented. We also show that the evaporation kinetics and lifetime of a droplet can be used to reveal the presence of a surfactant at very low concentrations. The results presented demonstrate the ability of the sensor to monitor the evaporating droplet from start to end.

Ionizing radiation attenuation features of Cu2-II-Sn-VI4 (II=Mn, Fe; VI = S, Se, Te) quaternary semiconducting compounds

The research's essential aim is to use Phy-X/PSD software to analyze photon attenuation properties of Cu2-II-Sn-VI4 (II=Mn, Fe; VI =S, Se, Te) quaternary semiconducting compounds at photons energies between 15 keV and 15 MeV. The parameters of photon interaction, including MAC, LAC, HVL, TVL, MFP, ACS, ECS, Zf, Nf, and Cf were determined in the chosen range of energies. The software was performed at the selected photon energies to compute each sample's R, Zeq, and build-up factors. The HVL and MFP values of the samples were compared to those mentioned in the previous studies for different concretes and commercial glasses. The HVL and MFP values for Cu2FeSnSe4, Cu2FeSnTe4, Cu2MnSnSe4, and Cu2MnSnTe4, samples are lower than those of the compared concrete types commonly utilized for protection. According to data acquired from the Phy-X/PSD software, Cu2FeSnTe4 is the optimum composite for gamma-ray attenuation among the studied samples. Also, in comparison to the other examined samples, the Cu2FeSnTe4 sample showed the greatest FNRCS (fast neutron removal cross-section) value (0.117), indicating good neutron attenuation characteristics.

Impact of borosilicate bioactive glass scaffold processing and reactivity on in-vitro dissolution properties

In this study, bulk borosilicate glasses and 3D scaffolds (processed by the burn-off technique and by robocasting) were synthesized to investigate the impact of the manufacturing method, glass composition and preincubation time on in vitro dissolution and cell response. The studied compositions are based on commercial bioactive glass S53P4 (BonAlive) where 12.5% SiO2 has been replaced by B2O (labelled B12.5), and part of the CaO is replaced with MgO and SrO (labelled B12.5-Mg-Sr). First, the impact of the processing and glass composition, on the dissolution rate, was assessed. As expected, scaffolds were found to exhibit faster dissolution, due to the increased surface area, when compared to the bulk glass. Furthermore, the 3D printed scaffolds were found to dissolve faster than the burn-off scaffolds. Moreover, scaffolds made from B12.5-Mg-Sr glass composition exhibited slower ion release and precipitation of calcium phosphate (CaP) layer, when compared to B12.5, due to the stabilizing effect of Mg and Sr. Finally, dynamic condition produces lower ion releases that static condition and could be more optimal for in vitro cell growth. Secondly, in culture with murine MC3T3-E1 cells, it was shown that 3 days preincubation would be optimal to decrease the burst of ions that is known to lead to cell death. However, it was found that MC3T3-E1 survived and proliferated only in presence of B12.5-Mg-Sr scaffolds. Finally, it was shown that despite scaffolds having different porosities, they had no significant difference on human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) survival. This manuscript brings new information on 1) the impact of material design (porosity) and composition on dissolution kinetic sand reactivity, 2) the impact of static vs dynamic testing on in-vitro dissolution and 3) the impact of materials’ pre-incubation on cell behavior.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of Pb-free tellurite glasses for radiation shielding applications

The melt and quench technique was used to create a new TeO2–Li2O–MoO3 glass system with the objective of providing alternative and new shielding materials for radiation safety purposes. The synthesized glasses were studied by means of their physical, thermal, and radiation shielding characteristics. It was demonstrated using Raman and FTIR spectroscopy that the insertion of Li2O and MoO3 resulted in a superimposed reduction of all Te units, including TeO3+1 and TeO3 with non-bridging oxygen, via the formation of Te(short)-O-Mo and a coordination change from MoO4 to MoO6. The densities of the prepared glasses were relatively high, having values between 4.48 and 5.11 g/cm3. Compared with TeO2-pure glass, the values for Tg and Tx substantially decrease with Li2O and MoO3 insertion. However, among prepared samples, there is only a small fluctuation in both characteristic temperatures, suggesting high thermal/composition stability. FLUKA simulations were used to estimate the photon, proton, electron, α-particle, and carbon ion shielding parameters for beam energies ranging from 15 to 15,000 keV. With changes in the chemical designation of the synthesized glasses, the mass attenuation coefficient of photons and stopping powers of charged radiation changed, gradually increasing with glass density and decreasing with Li2O and MoO3 insertion. In addition, the ability of the glasses to moderate fast neutrons declined with increases in the MoO3 and Li2O weight contents. On the contrary, the total cross section of thermal neutrons improved as glass density decreased and Li2O and MoO3 content increased. The synthesized glasses, through the evaluated parameters, showed better radiation shielding capacity compared to existing shields such as concrete and commercial RS-series glass shields.

Photovoltaic Glass Waste Recycling in the Development of Glass Substrates for Photovoltaic Applications.

Because of the increasing demand for photovoltaic energy and the generation of end-of-life photovoltaic waste forecast, the feasibility to produce glass substrates for photovoltaic application by recycling photovoltaic glass waste (PVWG) material was analyzed. PVWG was recovered from photovoltaic house roof panels for developing windows glass substrates; PVWG was used as the main material mixed with other industrial waste materials (wSG). The glass was casted by air quenching, annealed, and polished to obtain transparent substrates samples. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) was deposited as back contact on the glass substrates by spray pyrolysis. The chemical composition of the glass materials was evaluated by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), the thermal stability was measured by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and the transmittance was determined by UV-VIS spectroscopy. The surface of the glass substrates and the deposited FTO were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the amorphous or crystalline state of the specimens were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the sheet resistance was evaluated by the four-point probe method. The sheet resistance of the deposited FTO on the wSG substrate was 7.84 ± 3.11 Ω/□, lower than that deposited on commercial soda-lime glass (8.48 ± 3.67 Ω/□), meaning that this material could present improved conduction of the produced electrons by the photovoltaic effect. This process may represent an alternative to produce glass substrates from waste materials that could be destined for photovoltaic applications, especially the production of ecological photovoltaic windows.

Opto-electronic properties of Zr[formula omitted]Hf[formula omitted]O[formula omitted]/Al/Zr[formula omitted]Hf[formula omitted]O[formula omitted] thin-films: The influence of substrate temperature

The influence of substrate temperature on ZrxHf1−xO2/Al/ZrxHf1−xO2 trilayer thin-films deposited on n-type Si(100) and commercial glass substrates using magnetron sputtering technique is systematically investigated with the substrate temperature ranging from 25 to 300°C. The deposited films are characterized by x-ray reflectivity (XRR), grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GI-XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and UV–VIS spectroscopy to study the microstructural, morphological and optical properties. Capacitance–voltage (C–V) and current–voltage (I–V) measurements are performed to investigate the electrical properties of the trilayer thin-films. Physical characterization reveals that as the substrate temperature rises, the crystalline quality of the trilayer thin-films improves. Further, a rise in substrate temperature causes an increase in surface roughness and grain size. The trilayer thin-film deposited at 300°C shows improved optical transmittance over wavelengths 400–1100 nm. In addition this trilayer thin-film demonstrates highest figure of merit, lower leakage current as well as improved breakdown performance. Hence, ZrxHf1−xO2/Al/ZrxHf1−xO2 thin-film prepared at 300°C could be used in opto-electronic devices.

Ion-sieving Janus separator modified by Ti3C2Tx toward dendrite-free zinc-ion battery

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries, as one of the promising substitutes for lithium-ion batteries, have received increasing attention due to their high safety, low cost, and non-toxicity. Nevertheless, the inevitable growth of zinc dendrites, hydrogen evolution, and side reactions on the Zn anode greatly hinder the further application of zinc-ion batteries. The current solutions mainly focused on electrolyte regulation, artificial interface layer introduction, and zinc alloy anode construction. MXene, as a novel generation of two-dimensional layered transition metals carbides/ nitrides, has been widely investigated in a variety of metal ion batteries in the last decade owing to excellent physical and chemical properties. Herein, we constructed an ion-sieving Janus separator for the aqueous zinc-ion battery by spraying Ti3C2Tx MXene ink on one side of the commercial glass fiber separator. Because of the advantages of MXene such as high conductivity, abundant surface functional groups, and highly matched lattice constants with the Zn anode, the composite separator can homogenize the surface electric field of the Zn anode, optimize the flux of Zn2+, and induce the uniform deposition of Zn2+. Most importantly, a unique ion sieving function was realized in the electrolyte because of the intrinsic electro-negativity of the MXene layer. The concentration of H+ and SO42- on the Zn anode side is largely reduced, and the hydrogen evolution and side reactions are greatly inhibited. Thus, for symmetrical cells, an ultralong cycling lifespan up to 2500 h and superior rate capability with dendrite-free deposition behavior were achieved. When further applying the Janus separator to aqueous zinc-ion batteries combined with the fabricated α-MnO2 cathode, Zn anode, and 2 M ZnSO4 + 0.2 M MnSO4 electrolyte, a superb capacity retention rate (85.7%) upon cycling for 500 cycles at 1.0 A g−1 was obtained. This ion-sieving separator possesses the giant potential for zinc-ion batteries.

Characterization and applications of highly optical transparency tellurite glasses doped with Er3+, Tm3+, and Nd3+

Highly optical transparent tellurite glasses are attractive and viable as alternative materials for absorbing gamma-ray photons in the design of radiation protection structures. This report examines the potential of new tellurite glass systems (TeO2-ZnO-WO3-Bi2O3) doped with Er3+ (TZWB-Er), Tm3+ (TZWB-Tm), and Nd3+ (TZWB-Nd) as shielding materials against charged and uncharged radiation. The mass attenuation coefficient, μ/ρ of the glasses was computed by XCOM software and data from simulations of photon transmission in the PHIT code. The total stopping powers and range of beta particles β, H+, He2+, and C6+ in the glasses were estimated by ESTAR, PSTAR, ASTAR, and SRIM software at particle kinetic energies within 0.1–10 MeV. The fast neutron (FN) removal and thermal neutron absorption cross-sections in the glasses were also computed. The stopping powers and ranges of the considered charged particles showed variations that depended on the kinetic energy of the particles and chemical composition of the glasses. The TZWB-M glasses are better alternatives as gamma-radiation shields compared to traditional shielding substances such as concrete, some commercial glass shields, and recently recommended glass shields. The glasses are thus recommended for the design of radiation safety structures.

Biomolecular glass with amino acid and peptide nanoarchitectonics

Glass is ubiquitous in life and widely used in various fields. However, there is an urgent need to develop biodegradable and biorecyclable glasses that have a minimal environmental footprint toward a sustainable society and a circular materials economy. Here, we report a family of eco-friendly glasses of biological origin fabricated using biologically derived amino acids or peptides through the classic heating-quenching procedure. Amino acids and peptides with chemical modification at their ends are found able to form a supercooled liquid before decomposition and eventually glass upon quenching. These developed glasses exhibit excellent glass-forming ability and optical characteristics and are amenable to three-dimensional-printed additive manufacturing and mold casting. Crucially, the glasses show biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biorecyclability beyond the currently used commercial glasses and plastic materials.

Influence of pre-heat treatment on glass structure and chemical strengthening of aluminosilicate glass

We consider a commercial aluminosilicate glass as an example case to obtain an understanding of the correlations between heat treatment and characteristics of chemical strengthening. Different heat treatments are performed prior to an ionic exchange process, and their effects on the chemical strengthening are investigated. It is verified that pre-heating treatment is influential, increasing the generated compressive stress by ∼10%, whereas depth of the compressive layer is observed to be remained identical regardless of heat treatment. These behaviors are able to be connected with structural evolutions observed through a Raman analysis, revealing that 4- and 3-membered ring structures are increased with proper heat-treatment. This indicates that the glass structure tends to be densified on a medium range scale by forming a smaller ring structure, which influences the stuffing effect of chemical strengthening. The stress profile of aluminosilicate glasses can be additionally engineered via heat-treatment conducted before the ionic exchange process.

Predicting and optimizing the physical and spectroscopic properties of phosphate laser glasses using a phase diagram approach

AbstractDespite the significant technological applications of laser glasses, the quantitative prediction and optimization of their properties, particularly the spectroscopic properties, remain challenging. Here we address this problem by regarding the nearest‐neighboring congruently melting compounds as the “component and structural motifs” based on the phase diagram approach. The composition–structure–property (CSP) relationships of Nd3+‐doped ternary phosphate glasses are investigated. Spectroscopic properties are quantitatively predicted with an error of less than 10% compared to the experimental results. In particular, the fluorescence lifetime (τm) can be accurately calculated using the phase diagram approach, which is difficult to be predicted previously. Furthermore, the CSP databases with over 1000 compositions are established for the optimization of commercial laser glasses. This study enriches the CSP database of traditional laser glass and provides guiding significance for future research.

Maximizing sound absorption, thermal insulation, and mechanical strength of anisotropic pectin cryogels

Effective use of sound absorption materials is the main way to reduce noise pollution, which constitutes a major environmental and health problem. However, the currently used porous sound absorption materials cause not only environmental pollution but their usage is also a potential health risk. Here, we demonstrate a facile strategy to create environmental-friendly and non-toxic lightweight pectin-based cryogels with hierarchically porous anisotropic structure, which integrates small pores on the walls of lamellar pores, via freeze-casting method. The fabricated pectin cryogels have better sound absorption performance (average sound absorption coefficient up to 0.76 in 500–6000 Hz), higher compression modulus (300 to 700 times higher than commercial glass wool), and comparable thermal conductivity comparing to other reported bio-based porous materials. Moreover, the sound absorption performance could be enhanced and optimized by tuning the pore wall density of lamellar pores and the size of small pores to the level of viscous and thermal layers via increasing of freeze-casting temperature and adding NaCl in pectin solution prior to the freeze-casting process. The outstanding sound absorption is linked to the unique hierarchically porous morphology of these cryogels. This strategy paves the way for the design of bio-based porous anisotropic materials for highly efficient noise absorption.

Brain Capillary‐Inspired Self‐Assembled Covalent Organic Framework Membrane for Sodium–Sulfur Battery Separator

AbstractRoom‐temperature sodium–sulfur (RT/Na–S) batteries are a promising low‐cost energy storage technology. However, the vital role of the separator in the system is often overlooked. Inspired by the maintenance of brain homeostasis by human brain capillaries, this work pioneers a host–guest self‐assembled strategy for covalent organic scaffold membranes, endowing the membrane with multiple functions (sodium ion transport, confinement, and conversion of polysulfides) to maintain the stability of the RT/Na–S battery system. The free‐standing multifunctional covalent organic framework membrane (HB/CNT@COF) maximizes the roles of the host framework and guest molecules. Because of the synergistic effect of hydroxynaphthol blue (HB) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT), the HB/CNT@COF cell exhibits a capacity of 733.4 mAh g−1 with limited capacity fading after 400 cycles at 4 C. This performance is nearly four times that of commercial glass fiber separators. Additionally, the cell demonstrates excellent performance under electrolyte‐poor conditions.

Structure and gamma-ray attenuation capabilities for eco-friendly transparent glass system prepared from rice straw ash

The current study investigates the physical structural and radiation shielding capabilities of a newly developed glass system incorporating silica extracted from rice straw ash (RSA). The purity and chemical composition of the silica are determined using XRF. XRD confirms the amorphous character of the synthesized glass. Moreover, molar volume, optical parameters, and density will be investigated. Gamma (γ)-rays shielding parameters like half-value layer, mass attenuation coefficient, the effective atomic number, and the mean free path are experimentally measured across a broad range of gamma-ray energies (81 keV–1408 keV) emitted from 152Eu, 133Ba, 137Cs, and 60Co radioactive isotopes. The exposure buildup factor will be evaluated with the geometric progression fitting approximation. In addition, Phy-X/PSD software is used to calculate theoretically the former shielding parameters. A good agreement between theoretical and experimental values has been revealed. Finally, a comparison was made to investigate the potential use of our glass to replace the common shielding material like concrete (ordinary and hematite-serpenite), commercial glass (RS 253), and the newly developed Ag2O doped boro-tellurite glass. The newly prepared glass has higher MAC, Zeff values and lowered HVL and MFP values. These properties make our prepared glass system superior in terms of shielding from γ-rays.

Polyimide-Based Solid-State Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium–Oxygen Batteries with a Long-Cycling Life

Metal-air batteries have attracted wide interest owing to their ultrahigh theoretical energy densities, particularly for lithium-oxygen batteries. One of the challenges inhibiting the practical application of lithium-oxygen batteries is the unavoidable liquid electrolyte evaporation accompanying oxygen fluxion in the semi-open system, which leads to safety issues and poor cyclic performance. To address these issues, we propose a solid-state polyimide based gel polymer electrolyte (PI@GPE), immobilizing and reserving a liquid electrolyte in the gelled polymer substrate. The liquid electrolyte uptake of PI@GPE is measured to be 842%, 6 times higher than that of the commercial glass fiber separator, contributing to a high ionic conductivity of 0.44 mS cm-1. Additionally, PI@GPE possesses an enhanced lithium transference number of 0.596 as well as superior interfacial compatibility with lithium metals. Under 0.1 mA cm-2 and 0.25 mA h cm-2, PI@GPE-based lithium-oxygen batteries demonstrate distinguished long-cycling stability of 366 cycles, 4 times more than that with a glass fiber separator and liquid electrolyte. Our work provides a unique solid-state gel polymer electrolyte to mitigate liquid electrolyte leakage, exhibiting promising potential application in highly safe lithium-oxygen batteries with a long-cycling life.

Novel Flexible Ag/AgCl Quasi-Reference Electrode with Fishbone Nanowire Structure for Remarkable Potential Stability, Long-Term Reliability, and Noninvasive Electrocardiography.

The roadblocks for the planar silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) quasi-reference electrode (qRE) development are the potential stability and long-term reliability as potentiometric sensors. Although there is a significant amount of work on potentiometric screen-printed and inkjet-printed sensors, none of the REs has comparable performance to that of the conventional glass RE and knowledge on reliable planar Ag/AgCl qREs is still limited. Here, a novel fishbone-structured flexible Ag/AgCl qRE (Fishbone-Ag/AgCl qRE) was developed and its stability and long-term reliability were significantly improved. The stability of the Fishbone-Ag/AgCl qRE was comparable to that of a commercial glass Ag/AgCl RE. In a long-term stability test, the Fishbone-Ag/AgCl qRE could continuously and stably operate for more than 4 h. Shelf-life testing revealed a 6 month life span. The conductivity and diameter of the nanowires in the fishbone structure of the Ag/AgCl qRE had important influences on electrochemical properties. The conductivity of the qRE influenced the charge-transfer rate in the electrode so that it affected the potential stability. Thicker diameter and slight chlorination on the surface of the AgNWs resulted in enhanced long-term reliability of the qRE. The capabilities of this new nanostructured material were applied in vivo for noninvasive monitoring of electrocardiogram. The discovery is elementary and substantially informs improved nanostructure RE design for testing and commercial medical device applications.

Prospective life cycle assessment of a novel building system with improved foam glass incorporating high recycled content

This article presents a prospective life cycle assessment of the novel building system incorporating an improved foam glass with high recycled content, considering alternative shells (clay and concrete bricks) and construction site locations. The improved foam glass (λ = 0.037 W/m K; ρ = 100 kg/m3) outperforms the commercial foam glass in most environmental impact categories. A fully electric production process is only beneficial with a high share of renewable energy sources in the electricity mix. The use of the improved foam glass can lead to a reduction of climate change impacts by 64 % and resource use - fossil by 66 % in the European foam glass market. The novel building system can have good environmental performance even when assuming long-distance distribution. This article advances in proposing future scenario analyses by identifying life cycle hotspots (e.g. energy intensity, cullet availability), including changes in production, suppliers and market demand. A prospective life cycle assessment allows to anticipate critical issues and provide recommendations for improvement.

Optical and radiation absorption properties of bismuth-borate glasses doped with Ce4 +, Nd3 +, and Sm3 +

Three bismuth-borate glasses with the chemical configuration 15Bi2O3-75 H3BO2-10CeO2, 15Bi2O3-75 H3BO2-10Nd2O3, and 15Bi2O3-75 H3BO2-10Sm2O3 and coded as BHB-Ce, BHB-Nd, and BHB-Nd were investigated for their optical and gamma-radiation absorption behaviour. Optical parameters of the glasses such as the molar refractivity, Rm, molar polarizability, αm, reflection loss RL, optical transmission T, metallization criterion M, static dielectric constant εstatic, and optical dielectric constant εoptical were calculated using standard theoretical models. The mass attenuation coefficient μ/ρof the glass samples was estimated by FLUKA simulations and XCOM for discrete photon beams with energies of 0.282, 0.662, 1.33, and 2.51 MeV. The value of Vm was 21.35, 22.61, and 19.60 cm3/mol for BHB-Ce, BHB-Nd, and BHB-Sm, respectively. Also, the highest Rm (16.52 cm3/mol) and αm (6.56 ×10−24 cm3) were obtained for BHB-Ce, while the lowest value was recorded for BHB-Nd (12.035 cm3/mol and 4.78 ×10−24 cm3). Other optical parameters varied with the dopant ion. The photon attenuation coefficient obtained from XCOM calculation and simulations agreed within a 2.90% margin. The μ/ρ varied within the interval 0.0422–0.3086 cm2/g for BHB-Ce, 0.0420–0.3005 cm2/g for BHB-Nd and 0.0420–0.3029 cm2/g for BHB-Sm. The half-value layers (HVLs) vary from 0.3948 cm to 2.8854 cm for BHB-Ce, from 0.3782 cm to 2.7063 cm for BHB-Nd and from 0.3223 cm to 2.3252 cm for BHB-Sm. Based on the values of the photon shielding parameters, the investigated glasses showed better ability to absorb photons compared to conventional shields such as barite concrete, ordinary concrete, and some commercial glass shields. The analysis of the optical and radiation absorption parameters shows that the BHB-glasses are useful in optical and gamma-radiation absorption technologies.