Experimental Insights Into the Optical and Radiation Shielding Behavior of BaO-PbO2-B2O3-Pr6O11 Glasses.

This work reports the physical, optical, and gamma-ray shielding behavior of the BaO-PbO2-B2O3-Pr6O11 glasses. The present study evaluates the viability of present glasses as transparent shielding materials. The glasses are prepared using the melt-quenching technique. The amorphous nature is verified using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The optical characteristics are evaluated using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, while the radiation shielding competence is experimentally quantified using a narrow beam NaI (Tl) detector setup at 356, 511, 662, 1173, and 1330 keV. The incorporation of BaO, PbO2, and Pr6O11 increased the density of the glasses from 4.252 g cm-3 to a peak of 4.898 g cm-3. The UV-Vis spectra exhibited four distinctive absorption peaks at ~446, 472, 484, and 582 nm, confirming the active presence of Pr3+ ions. The addition of BaO, PbO2, and Pr6O11 facilitated the formation of non-bridging oxygens, which resulted in a decrease in the optical band gap (Eg) from 2.467 eV down to 2.138 eV. The experimental radiation shielding data confirmed that the highest concentration of BaO, PbO2, and Pr6O11 improved the attenuation coefficients across the tested energy spectrum. The 3Pr6O11 glass represents a highly promising and practical alternative for transparent radiation shielding windows in diagnostic radiology and nuclear facilities.