Lithium Borate Glasses Research Articles

Gamma Radiation Shielding and Interaction Properties of MoO3-Doped Cadmium Zinc Lithium-Borate Glasses

This study, theoretically examined the impact of MoO3 addition on gamma radiation shielding properties of cadmium zinc lithium-borate (BCZLMx) glasses to find the optimal quantity of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) needed for a stable glass matrix with excellent gamma shielding capabilities. Gamma radiation transmission parameters that include Mass attenuation coefficient, Mass energy absorption coefficient, Equivalent atomic number, Effective electron density, Dose rate, Exposure buildup factors and Energy absorption buildup factor were evaluated using FLUKA and XCOM computer programs. Results showed that 60B2O3-20CdO-10ZnO-8Li2O-2MoO3 (BCZLM5) was the most stable and efficient glass sample for X-rays and gamma radiation shielding across all photon energy ranges. Hence, BCZLM5 should be deployed for X-rays and gamma radiation shielding to provide maximum protection and exceptional safety for workers in hospital X-ray rooms and nuclear installations against ionizing radiation.

Li diffusion in oxygen-chlorine mixed anion borosilicate glasses using a machine-learning simulation.

Lithium-ion conducting borate glasses are suitable for solid-state batteries as an interfacial material between a crystalline electrolyte and an electrode, thanks to their superior formability. Chlorine has been known to improve the electron conductivity of borate glasses as a secondary anion. To examine the impact of chlorine on lithium dynamics, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed with a machine-learning interatomic potential (MLIP). The accuracy of the MLIP in modeling chlorine-doped lithium borate (LBCl) and borosilicate (LBSCl) glasses was verified by comparing with available experimental data on density, neutron diffraction S(q), and glass transition temperatures (Tg). While the MLIP-MD simulations underestimated the density when an isobaric-isothermal (NPT) ensemble was used, the glass models relaxed using the NPT ensemble after a melt-quench simulation employing a canonical (NVT) ensemble possessed reasonable density. The LBCl and LBSCl glass models exhibited increased lithium ion diffusion, and the ions were found to travel longer distances with an increase in the chlorine content. According to the structural analyses, it was observed that chlorine ions primarily interacted with lithium ions rather than the network formers. Consequently, lithium ions that interacted with a higher amount of chlorine showed a moderate increase in mobility. In summary, the MLIP demonstrated reasonable accuracy in modeling chlorine-containing borate glasses and enabled the investigation of the effect of chlorine on electron conductivity. In contrast, the first sharp diffraction peaks in S(q) deviated from the experimental diffractions, suggesting that additional efforts are required to accurately model the middle-range structure of the glasses.

The Effects of the Incorporation of Luminescent Vanadate Nanoparticles in Lithium Borate Glass Matrices by Various Methods

The glass-ceramic materials studied in this work are designed using combinations of lithium vanadate borate glass matrices and lanthanum/rare earth (RE) vanadate nanoparticles. Three different techniques of sintering of the glass matrix and vanadate nanoparticles are investigated. The morphological characteristics and spectral properties of the glass-ceramic samples obtained by different techniques are investigated and analyzed in comparison with the properties of the original glass matrices and nanoparticles. The luminescence spectra of all glass-ceramic samples consist of a wideband glass matrix emission and the characteristic line emission of the RE ions that are incorporated into the glass matrices as nanoparticles. The RE luminescence of these glass-ceramics is promising for various optoelectronic applications.

Transparent and lead-free Dy3+ doped lithium borate glasses for photon and neutron shielding applications

The exploration of trivalent rare-earth ion-doped lithium calcium borate glasses has surged recently due to their potential applications in solid-state lasers, medical imaging, and radiation shielding. This study focuses on transparent and lead-free Dy3+ doped lithium borate glasses for their efficacy as versatile radiation shields. Glasses with the chemical composition 50(Li2O): 20(CaO): 30−x(B2O3): x(Dy2O3) (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 mol% Dy2O3) were investigated. The structural changes in the lithium calcium borate glasses with Dy2O3 were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectra of the synthesized glass samples. Experimental mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) of the glasses have been determined using NaI(Tl) detector spectrometer in the energy range of 0.356–1.332 MeV. Photon interaction parameters were computed using PAGEX software in the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. Relative dose distribution (RDD) and specific absorbed fraction of energy (SAFE) were also investigated. Additionally, macroscopic fast neutron removal cross-sections ( ΣR ) were computed to estimate neutron shielding efficiencies. The sample with 1 mol% Dy2O3(LBD1), displayed superior photon and neutron attenuation properties. Glasses with lower Dy2O3 doping concentrations (≤1 mol%) showed comparable half-value layer and effective atomic number to reference materials with higher doping concentrations. Increasing Dy2O3 doping concentration improved photon shielding parameters, with ΣR values ranging from 0.1460 to 0.1475 cm−1, higher than those of ordinary concrete, RS-360, and other reference materials. The results highlight the potential of Dy3+ doped lithium borate glasses as effective radiation shields. Further investigations on chemical combinations and Dy2O3 doping concentrations are warranted to fabricate glasses with enhanced properties.

Effect of samarium oxide addition on the structural, thermal, and optical properties and photoluminescence of lithium borate glass

The samples were prepared in compliance with the form 33 Li2O–66 B2O3—(1-x) AgF—x Sm2O3, where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75. Powdered samples were converted to a glassy state via melting and quenching. The glassiness of the prepared samples was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). From the absorption spectra of the prepared glass samples, the band gap in the optical spectrum changed slightly in the range of 3.45, whereas the Urbach energy decreased from 0.32 to 0.267 eV. The fluctuations of the optical band gap and Urbach energy can be attributed to variations in the glass structure. Sm3 + emitted intense reddish-orange light under blue and UV light excitation. There are six excitation bands in the Sm3+ excitation spectrum situated in the blue and UV regions, peaking at 361.7, 374, 400, 417, 462, and 475 nm, which are attributed to the transitions from 6H5/2 to 4D3/2, 6P7/2, 6P3/2, 6P5/2, 4I13/2, and 4I11/2 respectively. The transition from 6H5/2 to 6P3/2 had the highest intensity and was associated with a peak at 400 nm. The bright yellow, reddish-orange, and red emission bands of the Sm3+ ions in the oxide glasses are related to the 4G5/2 → 6H5/2, 4G5/2 → 6H7/2, and 4G5/2 → 6H9/2 emission transitions, respectively.

Impact of europium oxide on structural, dielectric, and radiation-shielding properties of zinc lithium borate glasses

Impact of europium oxide on structural, dielectric, and radiation-shielding properties of zinc lithium borate glasses

FTIR, Raman spectroscopic, microstructure and neutron-particle interaction properties of Mo3+ doped cadmium zinc lithium-borate glasses

The application of different glass materials in the area of radiation shielding and charge particle attenuation has necessitated a comprehensive study of glass materials doped with special elements to examine the impact of the special element on the microstructure and shielding capabilities of resultant glass materials. In this study, the optical absorption spectra of Mo3+ doped cadmium zinc lithium borate glasses (BCZLMx) was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopic methods to ascertain the suitability of BCZLMx glass microstructure to neutron and charge particle attenuation. Results show that the absorption cross-section is the dominant contributor to the total cross section for all samples, ranging from 110.9 cm−1 to 111.7 cm−1. BCZLM1 glass sample appears to be slightly more effective at removing fast neutrons from the beam while BCZLM5 glasses are effective at stopping electrons, protons, alpha particles, and carbon ions when compared to the other BCZLMx glasses samples. This implies that doping cadmium zinc lithium borate glasses with Mo3+ reduces fast and thermal neutrons shielding potential and increased charge particles interaction of the BCZLMx glass system.

Modified Dosimetric Features of New Type of Lithium Borate Glass System: Role of Magnesium and Gold Co-doping

Modified Dosimetric Features of New Type of Lithium Borate Glass System: Role of Magnesium and Gold Co-doping

Experimental, theoretical, and Monte Carlo simulation study of radiation shielding properties of La2O3-Added lithium borate glasses

The La2O3-added lithium borate glasses in the composition of (80-x)B2O3: xLa2O3: 10Li2O: 10Al2O3 (x = 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 mol%) were prepared by the melt quenching process. The gamma-ray shielding properties of glasses were measured experimentally at various gamma-ray energies acquired from sources of 133Ba, 137Cs, and 60Co and compared with the FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation. FLUKA was also utilized for investigation and compared with the theoretical values obtained using the WinXCom program across the energy range from 0.015 MeV to 15 MeV. The mass attenuation coefficient (μm), effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), mean free path (MFP) and half-value layer (HVL) were reported. From the results, it was found that adding La2O3 to the glass structure increased μm, Zeff, and Neff, while MFP and HVL decreased. The glasses exhibited the lowest HVL value, indicating improved shielding ability when compared with some shielding materials. PHITS has been utilized to simulate the variations in the absorbed dose resulting from interaction of protons within the modelled phantom. These findings demonstrate the suitability of La2O3-added lithium borate glasses as radiation shielding materials.

Influence of ZnO and Pr6O11 incorporation on the structural, thermal, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties of calcium lithium borate glasses

A new glass of calcium lithium borate with the chemical formula (62.75-x)B2O3 + 20CaO + 0.25Pr6O11 + 17Li2O + xZnO, where x = 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 (mol%) have been prepared by conventional melt-quenching process. The amorphous character has been confirmed by the very short-range ordering structural matrices demonstrated through X-ray diffraction.The Raman spectra of the prepared glass revealed an enhancement of host lattice distortions. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) estimated the glass transition temperature (Tg), the onset temperature of crystallization (Tc), and the melting temperature (Tm). The glass transition decreased from 441 °C to 431 °C with increasing ZnO content up to 10 mol%. The criteria of glass samples up to 10 % ZnO have higher strength, rigidity and higher level of thermal stability. The physical quantities as density, molar volume, inter-atomic distance, polaron radius, packing density, and oxygen packing density were calculated. The glass density increases while the molar volume decreases with ZnO content. The optical properties of glasses were investigated using UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The addition of ZnO enhances the light absorption in UV–Vis. The results of the calculated direct and indirect optical band gaps decrease from 3.663 eV to 3.233 eV for and from 3.167 eV to 2.648 eV for direct and indirect transitions respectively with the increment of ZnO addition. Additionally, the dispersion energy and static refractive index clearly increase while the oscillator energy declines. The Makishima-Mackenzie’s (M−M) method was employed to ascertain mechanical parameters, including elastic moduli, and Poisson’s ratio. The study revealed an enhancement to the mechanical properties as the content of ZnO increased. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to investigate the magnetic properties of the prepared glass and all samples exhibited a ferromagnetic behavior. The incorporation of ZnO act as glass modifier controlling their physical, optical and mechanical properties making the investigated glasses suitable for various applications.

Structural, optical properties, and laser spectroscopy of erbium-doped low-melting borate glasses

Glasses that contain Erbium oxide as a dopant exhibit garnered considerable interest for its use in photonic applications, primarily because of the intra-4f sublevel transitions of Erbium ions, which enable emission in the technologically significant 1.5 μm communications window. In this work, a series of Erbium oxide doped sodium lithium borate glasses were synthesized via melt quenching with compositions xEr2O3-(55-x)B2O3–25Li2O–10Na2O–5CaO–3SrO–2Al2O3 (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5 mol%). An investigation was conducted to examine the consequences of Er3+ on the crystal structure and laser spectroscopy. Furthermore, the optical properties of the samples that were created. XRD analysis showed degradation of the glass network with increasing Er2O3 content due to disruption of boroxol rings. FTIR spectra indicated variations in BO3/BO4 ratios and Er–O vibrations with doping. Absorption spectra revealed characteristic Er3+ f-f transitions and a redshift in the UV edge. The bright field imaging proved the effect of Er3+ on the homogeneity of the surfaces. Meanwhile, 3D laser Raman mapping chemically proves the good distribution of Er2O3 on the glass surface. With an excitation under 980 nm, visible emissions at 550 and 660 nm, along with NIR emission at 1550 nm arising from Er3+ 4f levels, were observed. The results demonstrate that Er3+ doping effectively modifies the glass structure and optical properties. The borate glass host provides an excellent platform for customized erbium-doped photonic devices operating in the telecom C-band.

Structural and thermoluminescence properties of lithium borate glass matrices under UV and beta radiation.

In the present work, glass samples in the (100 - x)B2O3-xLi2O binary system, with x varying from 30 to 50 mol%, were prepared using the conventional melting and moulding method, with the main objective of evaluating the thermoluminescence response when exposing these materials to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Complementary analysis based on density, optical absorption on the UV-visible region (UV-vis absorbance), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy on the medium region, X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal analysis measurements were performed. Thermoluminescence measurements of vitreous samples showed glow curves with at least one peak with a maximum temperature of ~170°C after exposure to UV radiation in the temperature range 50-250°C. Samples were also exposed to beta radiation in the temperature range 25-275°C, also showing single peaks with a maximum temperature of ~150°C.

The effect of nickel additive and ion irradiation on the structural and optical properties of lithium borate glasses

The study investigates the impact of nickel oxide (NiO) doping (0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% wt%) on the glass composition 85B2O3-15Li2O using the melt quenching technique. Both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR confirm the amorphous nature and functional groups. Density, molar volume, average boron separation, ion concentration, interionic distance, polaron radius,. UV-visible absorption (200–1100 nm) was also recorded before and after nitrogen ion beam irradiation (fluence: 8x1017 and 16x1017 ion/cm2). Results indicate a decrease in the optical energy gap (Eoptical gap) and an increase in Urbach’s energy (EU) with higher NiO content, especially post-irradiation. Nitrogen ion irradiation at higher doses (16x1017 ion/cm2) induces more significant effects, attributed to increased non-bridging oxygen species (NBOs) formation and finally dielectric parameters were measured from 100 Hz to 100 kHz. Overall, the ability to tailor borate glass properties via nitrogen ion irradiation holds promise for diverse technological applications in optoelectronics, photonics, sensors, and radiationdetection

Modifying ring structures in lithium borate glasses under compression: MD simulations using a machine-learning potential

Modifying ring structures in lithium borate glasses under compression: MD simulations using a machine-learning potential

Mössbauer, optical and structural properties of [formula omitted] ion in borate glass

Lanthanum-bearing iron lithium borate glass is a quaternary system for oxide glasses and was prepared via the melt-quenching method. The present article correlates the structure, optical, ligand field and Mössbauer data on iron lithium borate glass containing La3+. The density was measured, while the molar volume was calculated. Other physical parameters are well-described. With increasing the La2O3 content within the glass network, infrared spectra analysis reveals structural modifications such as the increase in BO4 units and the decline in both BO3 units and NBO bonds content. Furthermore, optical absorption spectra were measured. The absorption spectra disclose a plethora of electronic transitions that are related to Fe3+ in tetrahedral and octahedral sites, however, Fe2+ phase is not observed in optical spectra, but it has a clear signature in Mössbauer spectra. Besides, the glass absorption edges undergo a clear blue shift, reflecting an increased band gap energy (1.96–2.28 eV). The decline in NBO bonds justifies this trend. Bewitchingly, the values of crystal field splitting are increased, while the values of Racah parameters are decreased. This trend is justified by the decline in NBO bonds and increases electron localization around Fe cations. Mössbauer spectra confirm the existence of Fe3+ in tetrahedral and octahedral sites, while Fe2+ exists in only a tetrahedral state. With increasing La2O3 content, the isomer shift of Fe3+ in tetrahedral sites changes to be 0.312–0.329 mm/s, while the isomer shift of octahedral Fe3+ is 0.424–0.456 mm/s. These findings coincide with optical data. While the isomer shift of tetrahedral Fe2+ is 0.902–0.911 mm/s. Our results of structural, optical and ligand field associated with Mössbauer spectra open more vistas toward the utility of these samples in the optics realm.

Evaluation of gamma and neutron radiation shielding parameters of some glass materials by Monte Carlo and theoretical method

The present study investigates the gamma-ray and neutron shielding properties of PbCu3Ti4O12, lithium borate (Li2B4O7), lithium borate glasses doped with dolomite (CaMg(CO3)) and neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) to assess their effectiveness as shielding materials against ionizing radiation. The gamma-ray shielding properties, including the attenuation and absorption characteristics of the materials were examined and compared using Geant4-based GATE simulation, XCOM, and EpiXS in the photon energy range of 80-2000 keV. When the shielding properties of the available materials were compared, it was determined that Li2B4O7-Nd2O3, PbCu3Ti4O12, Li2B4O7-CaMg(CO3), and Li2B4O7 exhibited the best shielding properties, in order from most effective to least effective. The neutron shielding properties of these materials, including scattering, absorption, and moderation capabilities, were also determined using MRCsC, Phy-X/PSD and estimation ΣR/ρ of elements. The results were then compared with the current literature. Li2B4O7, CaMg(CO3), and Nd2O3-doped lithium borate glass samples showed higher effective fast neutron removal cross-section values than water and concrete in all calculation methods. It shows that the investigated glass materials are better gamma and neutron beam absorbers and have the potential for use in gamma and neutron beam shielding applications.

Trace element determination by femtosecond LA-ICP-MS in 10 mg extraterrestrial geological samples prepared as lithium borate glasses

This method involves precise trace element determination in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) lithium borate glass prepared from 10 mg extraterrestrial geological samples using femtosecond LA-ICP-MS.

Manifestation of site energy landscapes for ion transport in borate glasses.

The potential energy landscape of lithium borate glass of composition Li3B7O12 has been investigated by the charge attachment induced transport (CAIT) technique. Here, native lithium ions have been replaced by foreign alkali ions, M+ = K+, Rb+, Cs+. All experiments exhibit a pronounced decrease of native ion diffusion coefficients over more than 4 orders of magnitude with decreasing local population of Li+. The energy landscape is modelled by a site energy distribution (SED) with a concentration dependent Fermi energy of the native Li+ ions. The width of the populated part of the SED is found to be 250 meV (FWHM). The conclusion is made possible by a combination of a macroscopic ion replacement experiment with a Nernst-Planck-Poisson modelling of concentration depth profiles measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Possible generalizations of macroscopic transport theory to match an Onsager ansatz are discussed.

Thermoluminescence Characteristics of Copper and Terbium Co-Doped Lithium Tetraborate Glass.

In this study, the preparation and characterization of copper (Cu) and terbium (Tb) co-doped lithium borate glass using spectroscopic and thermoluminescence techniques are reported. A thermal treatment was introduced to increase the degree of crystallinity. The thermoluminescence glow curve signal of the samples displayed upon exposure to beta radiation was measured and analyzed. It was found that the samples doped with 0.1% of copper and co-doped with 0.3% terbium showed the highest thermoluminescent (TL) signal in response to the irradiated dose. The analyses revealed that the glow curves of the doped samples were composed of nine overlapping glow peaks with activation energies between 0.73 and 2.78 eV. As a whole area under the glow curve, the TL signals displayed a linear dose response in the range from 110 mGy to 55 Gy. The minimum detectible dose of the samples was found to be 10.39 µGy. It was found that peaks 1 and 2 disappear after one day of storage. The rest of the peaks (3-9) remain almost constant up to 74 days of storage.

Thermal, optical, and radiation shielding capacity of B2O3-MoO3-Li2O- Nb2O5 glasses

Multicomponent molybdenum lithium borate glasses having composition 64B2O3-16MoO3-(20−x) Li2O- x Nb2O5 (0≤x≤20mol%) have been synthesized using the conformist melt-quench method and encoded as LiNb0, LiNb2, LiNb4, LiNb8, and LiNb12. The structural, thermal, radiation, and optical characteristics of glasses were investigated using XRD, DTA, PSD/Phy-X, and UV/VIS/NIR methodologies. X-ray diffractometry confirmed their amorphous nature. Variations in optical characteristics such as,Eopt,Eu,αm, Rm, RL,M,χ,α°,∝02−,and ʌ were associated with structural changes due to the changes in Nb2O5 concentration. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) results show thatTg lies between 451 and 496 °C, Tc lies between 523 and 577 °C, Tp lies between 545 and 606 °C, and Tm is showing between 733 and 781 °C. Glass samples with a higher content of Nb2O5 have the highest thermal stability, which suggests that Nb2O5 prevents crystallization of the glass structure. The sample with LiNb12 has the lowest MFP at all energies (0.015–15 MeV), indicating that a smaller sheet thickness is required to absorb the incident radiation. The Zeff and MFP have the opposite behavior concerning Nb2O5 content. Finally, the present glasses are excellent candidates in the radiation shielding field due to the combination of improved transparency and radiation shielding qualities.