Transparent and lead-free Dy³⁺ doped lithium borate glasses for photon and neutron shielding applications

Abstract The exploration of trivalent rare-earth ion-doped lithium calcium borate glasses has surged recently due to their potential applications in solid-state lasers, medical imaging, and radiation shielding. This study focuses on transparent and lead-free Dy 3+ doped lithium borate glasses for their efficacy as versatile radiation shields. Glasses with the chemical composition 50(Li 2 O): 20(CaO): 30−x(B 2 O 3 ): x(Dy 2 O 3 ) (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 mol% Dy 2 O 3 ) were investigated. The structural changes in the lithium calcium borate glasses with Dy 2 O 3 were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectra of the synthesized glass samples. Experimental mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) of the glasses have been determined using NaI(Tl) detector spectrometer in the energy range of 0.356–1.332 MeV. Photon interaction parameters were computed using PAGEX software in the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. Relative dose distribution (RDD) and specific absorbed fraction of energy (SAFE) were also investigated. Additionally, macroscopic fast neutron removal cross-sections ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Σ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">R</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> ) were computed to estimate neutron shielding efficiencies. The sample with 1 mol% Dy 2 O 3 (LBD1), displayed superior photon and neutron attenuation properties. Glasses with lower Dy 2 O 3 doping concentrations (≤1 mol%) showed comparable half-value layer and effective atomic number to reference materials with higher doping concentrations. Increasing Dy 2 O 3 doping concentration improved photon shielding parameters, with <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Σ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">R</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> values ranging from 0.1460 to 0.1475 cm −1 , higher than those of ordinary concrete, RS-360, and other reference materials. The results highlight the potential of Dy 3+ doped lithium borate glasses as effective radiation shields. Further investigations on chemical combinations and Dy 2 O 3 doping concentrations are warranted to fabricate glasses with enhanced properties.