The Effects of TeO2 on Polarizability, Optical Transmission, and Photon/Neutron Attenuation Properties of Boro-Zinc-Tellurite Glasses

Abstract

Boro-zinc-tellurite glasses in the chemical composition of xTeO(2)-(30 - x)Li2O-20ZnO-50B(2)O(3) (x is ranging from 0 to 20 mol% with step of 5) were systematically studied by means of their optical features such as molar polarizability (alpha(m)), molar refraction (R-m), optical transmission (T), metallization principle (M), and reflection loss (R-L). Moreover, the Monte Carlo method (via FLUKA code) was applied to investigate the photon and neutron attenuation properties by estimating the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) of the glasses involved. The MAC values were then utilized to assess various photon attenuation parameters such as HVL, EAN, and MFP. Finally, an extended comparison was achieved between the MFP values of the present glasses and those of various commonly used radiation shields. The results showed that the general trend in MAC throughout the energy spectrum was (TL1)(MAC) < (TL2)(MAC) < (TL3)(MAC) < (TL4)(MAC) < (TL5)(MAC). The TeO2 addition (the substitution of Li2O by TeO2) has a notable impact to increase the LAC values indicating to improve the photon attenuation ability of the current glass specimens. The maximum Sigma(R) value was around 0.12 cm(-1) for TL1 glass specimen. The investigated glasses could be used for various radiation applications as non-toxic and transparent shields against photon and neutron radiations.