Physical, mechanical, and gamma ray shielding properties of the Bi2O3–BaO–B2O3–ZnO–As2O3–MgO–Na2O glass system

Abstract

Abstract This study provides insights into the effects of Bi2O3 on the physical, mechanical, and gamma ray shielding properties of Bi2O3–BaO–B2O3–ZnO–As2O3–MgO–Na2O glasses. The higher Bi2O3 concentrations result in increased density and molecular weight of the glasses. The molar volume also increases with higher Bi2O3 percentages, accompanied by a decrease in the average distance between boron atoms and a reduction in polaron radius and inter-nuclear distance. Electronegativity decreases and electronic polarizability increases with increasing Bi2O3 concentration, indicating higher electron-donating capacity and greater susceptibility to external electric field distortion. The elastic moduli exhibit a downward trend with increasing Bi2O3 concentration, indicating a decreased degree of elastic behaviour. The decrease in cross-linking is further supported by the reduction in Poisson’s ratio. The decrease in values of the hardness also indicates a decline in the stiffness and connectivity of the glass network. The linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) of three different glasses were obtained using Phy-X software in 0.015–15 MeV energy range. Also, the effective atomic numbers are calculated for the selected glasses. The LAC has the highest values for Bi21, indicating that the addition of Bi2O3 causes an improvement in the LAC.