Impact of ZnO on the physical, mechanical, optical, and gamma-ray shielding properties of B2O3-Bi2O3-Na2O-ZnO-CaO glasses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the optical and gamma-ray shielding properties of the B2O3-Bi2O3-Na2O-ZnO-CaO glasses. The density of the glasses increases from 3.463 to 3.705 g/cm(3) due to the inclusion of ZnO, which leads to a more compact structure. The presence of ZnO also causes an increase in dopant concentration. Additionally, the configuration of oxygen atoms changes, resulting in a decrease in the oxygen packing density (OPD) and an increase in the oxygen molar volume (Vo). The rise in optical basicity suggests a higher degree of negative charge within the structure. Furthermore, the elastic moduli show a positive correlation with the ZnO content. The UV-Vis absorption coefficient (alpha) and extinction coefficient (k) exhibit a decrease as the wavelength increases. As the concentration of ZnO is raised up to 15 mol% in the samples, the band gap energy (Eg) values decrease. However, above 15 mol% of ZnO concentration, the energy band gap values are observed to increase. The half-value layer (HVL) values increase with energy, indicating that thicker shields are needed to block higher-energy gamma rays. The ZC4 sample exhibiting the greatest density and linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) possesses the lowest HVL values as a result of its elevated ZnO concentration. The analysis of the transmission factor (TF) and radiation protection efficiency (RPE) confirms that the ZC4 sample qualifies as a top-quality shielding material.