Experimental study on borosilicate glasses: influence of Bi2O3 on gamma radiation shielding efficiency

The aim of this study is to experimentally report the radiation shielding properties of borosilicate glasses with general formula 16SiO 2 -14Na 2 O-(70-x)B 2 O 3 -xBi 2 O 3 , (x=0, 5, 10 and 15 mol%). The concentration of Bi 2 O 3 was varied to examine its impacts on the glass’s radiation shielding performance. The linear and mass attenuation coefficients (LAC and MAC) of the glasses were measured at varying energy levels between 356 and 1330 keV using narrow beam geometry technique. The MAC results obtained by experimental method and WinXCom are in agreement, confirming the accuracy of the experimental setup used in this work. Sample Bi15 shows the highest LAC with a value of 0.4196 cm -1 at 356 keV due to its highest content of Bi 2 O 3 (15 mol%), while sample Bi0 shows the lowest LAC. The mean free path (MFP) is examined for the prepared glasses between 356 and 1330 keV. The results showed that the free-Bi 2 O 3 glass sample has the highest MFP, which is 4.175 cm at 356 keV. Bi15 glass sample exhibits the lowest MFP, indicating that it is the best attenuator among the current glasses. The half and tenth value layers (HVL and TVL) were reported from the experimental LAC data, and the results demonstrated that, the HVL value is smaller than the TVL indicating that the samples must be thick to serve as effective radiation shielding material. • The Experimental LAC of borosilicate glasses was reported • The LAC was measured between 356 and 1330 keV using narrow beam geometry technique • Sample Bi15 shows the highest LAC with a value of 0.4196 cm -1 at 356 keV • The free-Bi 2 O 3 glass sample has the highest MFP, which is 4.175 cm at 356 keV.