Significant impact of lead(II) chloride on synthesis and properties of boron-based metallic glasses for mechanical, optical, and radiation applications

Abstract

Characterization exposes the attribute of materials that could be explored for further technological advantages. A multidimensional investigation of properties is therefore crucial in determining the prospective applications of a glass system. In this research, the optical and radiation protection potential of xPbCl2–10CdO–20Bi2O3–(70 - x)B2O3 glasses are reported. The glass samples (with X = 0 (PCCBB1)–40 (PCCBB5) in steps of 10 mol%) were developed through the melt and quench synthesis approach and analysed for their structural, optical, and gamma radiation attributes. The mass attenuation coefficient µm of the glasses was estimated for 0.015–18 MeV photons through PHITS simulations and Phy-X calculations. The synthesized glass samples were optically transparent and the XRD spectrum analysis showed that they had amorphous structures. Also, FTIR spectra of the glasses demonstrated the presence of distinct functional groups. The density and molar volume of the glasses increased from 4.0276 to 4.88 g/cc and 47.819 to 52.123 cc/mol, respectively, as PbCl2 content rose from 0 to 40 mol%. Quantities related to the optical features of the glasses such as band gap, refractive index, molar refractivity, Urbach energy, and dielectric constant had unique values for different glass compositions. The range of µm was 0.0353–66.445 cm2/g for PCCBB1, whilst those of PCCBB2–PCCBB5 are 0.0365–72.431 cm2/g, 0.0372–77.431 cm2/g, 0.0378–81.209 cm2/g, and 0.0383–83.805 cm2/g, respectively. The effective atomic number, half value layer, and buildup factors showed that increasing the PbCl2 content of the glasses enhanced the gamma shielding ability of the glasses. The glasses displayed interesting properties that made them potentially useful for optical and radiation absorption applications. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.