Optical absorption of gamma-irradiated lithium-borate glasses doped with different transition metal oxides

We have investigated the effect of gamma irradiation on the optical properties of Li2O–B2O3 containing two concentrations (0.2 or 0.5 g) of each one of the following transition metals, V, Mn, Fe or Ni oxide glass samples. We studied the impacts of gamma irradiation in terms of the mechanism by which radiation-induced defects are generated. A resolution of the observed absorption spectra showed several bands which were induced by photo-reduction or photo-oxidation assumed to take place by photo-chemical reaction according to the type of transition metal oxide (TMO). Small deviations of these induced bands characteristic of the glass constituents were observed and explained in terms of the physical properties, in relation to different oxidation states of TMO in the glass matrix. The series Mn2+, Fe2+ and Ni2+ ions shows a trend of increased photo-oxidation with increasing electronegativity or decreasing mass of the ions.The prepared samples were studied in terms of their dosimetric characteristics: calibration curves from 1.0524 to 42.096 kGy and fading at (25 and 50 °C). Thermal bleaching of irradiated glass was found to permit the reduction of the larger part of TMO ions in Li2O–B2O3. Also, the results showed that the degeneration of the induced bands was faster at 50 than at 25 °C. The optical energy gap Eg was found to decrease with the increase of the radiation dose, and it is suggested that the mechanism of optical transition is forbidden by indirect transition.