Comparative study of silicate glasses containing Bi2O3, PbO and BaO: Radiation shielding and optical properties

The radiation shielding and optical properties of xBi2O3:(100-x)SiO2, xPbO:(100-x)SiO2 and xBaO:(100-x)SiO2 glass systems (where 30 ⩽ x ⩽ 70 is the composition by weight%) have been investigated. Total mass attenuation coefficients (μm) of glasses at 662 keV were improved by increasing their Bi2O3 and PbO content, which raised the photoelectric absorption in glass matrices. Raising the BaO content to the same fraction range, however, brought no significant change to μm. These results indicate that photon is strongly attenuated in Bi2O3 and PbO containing glasses, and but not in BaO containing glass. The results from the optical absorption spectra show an edge that was not sharply defined; clearly indicating the amorphous nature of glass samples. It is observed that the cutoff wavelength for Bi2O3 containing glass was longer than PbO and BaO containing glasses.

Research highlights
► We change Bi2O3, PbO and BaO concentration in silicate glasses.
► The densities of Bi2O3 glasses more than PbO glasses and BaO glasses.
► The Um of Bi2O3 glasses and PbO glasses are comparable and more than BaO glasses.
► This suggests that Bi2O3 can replace PbO in radiation shielding glasses.