Composition dependence of element depth profiles in electron irradiated borosilicate glasses

•The element depth profiles and microstructures of three types of ternary sodium borosilicate glasses induced by 1.2 MeV electron irradiation were studied.•The depletion of elements at the irradiated surface layer was affected by the composition of the pristine glass.•The depleted depths of all the elements were the same in the same irradiated NBS glass, and increased with a decrease in the R value of the NBS glasses and an increase in the electron dose.