Physical, Mechanical, and ionizing radiation shielding properties of 10PbO–10Na2O-(80-x)B2O3-xBaO glasses

This research explored the mechanical, physical, and ionizing radiation shielding properties of 10PbO–10Na2O-(80-x)B2O3-xBaO glass samples, where x = 10, 15, 20, and 25. The conventional melt-quench technique was employed to prepare the samples. The elastic moduli were investigated using the Makishima–Mackenzie model. At the same time, the radiation shielding properties involved a comprehensive analysis of the effective atomic number, linear attenuation and mass attenuation coefficients, half-value and tenth-value layers, radiation protection efficiency, and transmission factors, as well as the buildup factors for different mean-free paths (mfp). The impact of BaO (mol%) on the parameters mentioned above was investigated across a range of photon energies (0.015–15 MeV). In addition, the effect of BaO on the physical and mechanical properties of current glasses was studied. The addition of BaO showed an inverse impact on mechanical and physical properties, gradually reducing the glass's stability. In contrast, adding BaO to the compound enhanced photon attenuation ability, which means the sample with 25% BaO had the optimum capacity for radiation shielding amongst all the prepared samples. Moreover, the results demonstrated the complex interplay of Compton scattering, pair production, and the photoelectric effect, influencing the attention of photons. This work provides beneficial intuition into designing and optimizing glass-based radiation shielding materials.