Investigation of TeO2-Based Borotellurite Glass as a Radiation Shield: Effects of Composition on Attenuation Parameters

The development of lead-free glass materials as radiation shielding has gained significant attention due to environmental concerns and the need for transparent shielding alternatives. This study investigates the effectiveness of TeO2-based borotellurite glass as a potential radiation shielding material. Glass samples with compositions of TeO2-(60-x) B2O3-20Bi2O3-15ZnO-5CaO (x = 0, 5, 10, 15 mol%) were synthesized and analyzed. The radiation shielding performance was evaluated using parameters attenuation within the energy range of 0.01–1.5 MeV. The obtained values were compared with those of commercial shielding materials, including RS-253-G18 glass and 40% synthetic borax. The results indicate that increasing TeO2 concentration enhances the glass density and improves radiation attenuation capability. The TeB4 sample (15 mol% TeO₂) exhibited the highest MAC value of 3.372 cm2/g at 0.06 MeV, which is significantly higher than that of TeB1 (2.814 cm2/g), TeB2 (3.011 cm²/g), and TeB3 (3.197 cm²/g). Additionally, the HVL values at 0.6 MeV for TeB1, TeB2, TeB3, and TeB4 were 1.390 cm, 1.359 cm, 1.329 cm, and 1.300 cm, respectively, confirming that higher TeO2 concentration leads to a reduction in HVL and an overall improvement in shielding efficiency. Moreover, the absorption edge of Bi2O3 at 0.0905 MeV contributed to a sudden increase in attenuation efficiency at specific energy levels. The findings confirm that TeO2-based borotellurite glass is a promising candidate for radiation shielding applications, offering both high attenuation performance and optical transparency Keywords: TeO2-based glass, radiation shielding, mass attenuation coefficient, borotellurite glass, and lead-free shielding materials