Impact of high BaO content on tuning the structural, optical and radiation shielding properties of multicomponent borate glasses

The impact of increasing BaO concentration on the B 2 O 3 -CaO-ZnO-BaO-Er 2 O 3 glass samples' properties has been examined. The increase in density and molar volume is observed. FTIR analysis reveals the disruption of borate units and the creation of NBOs with BaO content. The band gap energy (E g ) decreases from 3.028 to 2.882 eV. BaO addition increases the dielectric constant and the refractive index. The radiation shielding properties were investigated from 0.015 to 15 MeV. The BaE4 sample has the highest linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) and effective atomic number (Z eff ). The maximum Z eff is found at 0.015 MeV, ranging from 41.54 to 43.85. The BaE4 sample possesses the lowest MFP at all selected energy levels. The comparison with other glass systems confirms the suitability of the BaE4 sample for gamma ray shielding applications.