Abstract
In this this paper, five transparent and non-toxic glasses with the chemical identity: 75TeO 10MoO3 10BaO (5-x)Sm2O3xBi2O3 with x = 0 (TMBS-0Bi), 2 (TMBS-2Bi), 4 (TMBS-4Bi), 4.5 (TMBS-4.5Bi), and 5 (TMBS-5Bi) were synthesized using analytic grade chemicals following the melt and quench process. The glasses were characterized for their physical, optical, structural and gamma radiation attenuation attributes. The glasses appear transparent with colour gradient dictated by chemical content. XRD data and analysis confirm the glassy nature of the prepared glasses. As the Bi2O3 content increased, the glass density increased from 5.46 to 5.64 g/cm3. The direct optical bandgap also showed variations with TMBS-5Bi having the highest value of 2.56 eV. The mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ) of the glasses was determined through FLUKA simulation and direct XCOM calculations. Results showed great agreement between µ/ρ obtained from both methods. The analysis of photon response parameters of the glasses indicated energy and chemical content variations for photon energies 15–15000 KeV. Generally, parameters relating to gamma ray absorption show improvement as Bi2O3 was enhanced in the glasses. therefore, TMBS-5Bi and TMBS-0Bi is the best and weakest photon absorber among the prepared glasses. The TMBS-5Bi offer good alternative as a transparent and environmentally friendly glass for radiation control applications. The TMBS-XBi glasses are attractive optical materials on one hand, they are also considered candidates in radiation protection functions.