Experimental radiation shielding, mechanical and optical properties for borosilicate glass system: Role of varying SrO

Borosilicate glass is one of the famous glasses used in labs and kitchenware since its thermal expansion is so low. This research synthesized a new group of borosilicate glass to study its mechanical, optical, and radiation shielding properties. The experimental shielding setup was set to explore the glass performance in the radiation shielding field. The results were compared with the XCOM data to check validity. The optical properties were determined using absorption spectra for glass samples. At the same time, the mechanical properties were assessed theoretically to give an impression of the glass structure. The radiation shielding experimental setup was validated with a relative difference of 9.8066% between practical and theoretical findings. Meanwhile, adding SrO instead of B2O3 increased the radiation shielding features. The mass attenuation coefficient values at 0.184 MeV rose from 0.1448 to 0.1474 cm(2)/g with the addition of SrO. The mechanical and optical parameters showed variation in results when SrO was added. For example, the band gap values are 3.547, 3.485, 3.675, and 3.527 eV for STBS15, STBS20, STBS25, and STBS30, respectively. The Urbach energy results are 0.183, 0.182, 0.180, and 0.173 eV for STBS15, STBS20, STBS25, and STBS30, respectively. At the same time, the Young modulus results are 94.071, 88.880, 89.207, and 86.035 GPa for STBS15, STBS20, STBS25, and STBS30, respectively. The Poisson ratio ranged from 0.284 to 0.278 for STBS15 and STBS30. The adding SrO reduced the hardness from 5.260 to 4.966 GPa for STBS15 and STBS30. Finally, the results indicate the ability to use current glasses in the radiation shielding applications.