Impact of P2O5 concentration on gamma-ray shielding in Na2O–B2O3-P2O5 glass

Building on our previous study of structural, and electrical properties of Na 2 O–B 2 O 3 –P 2 O 5 work investigates their γ-ray shielding performance. Glasses with compositions 30Na 2 O – (70-y) B 2 O 3 –y P 2 O 5 (where y = 0, 14, 21, and 35 mol%) were analyzed using the Phy-X/PSD software to determine the attenuation and penetration factors of this glass system at different energies. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) values were found to decrease exponentially with increasing energy, ranging from 0.124 to 0.089 cm -1 for 30Na 2 O – 70 B 2 O 3 and from 0.138 to 0.099 cm -1 for y= 35 mol%. The addition of phosphorus pentoxide (P 2 O 5 ) led to an increase in LAC values from 0.174 to 0.193 cm -1 at 0.662 MeV. The effective atomic number (Z eff ) results indicated a higher probability of photon interaction with increased P 2 O 5 content. The maximum Z eff was recorded at 0.284 MeV, with values of 7.46 for NBP1 and 8.92 for y= 35 mol%. The Phy-X/PSD program was also used to calculate the half-value layer (HVL) for the evaluated glasses in the energy range of 0.284 to 2.506 MeV. The HVL results showed that more gamma rays were shielded at 0.284 MeV, while photon shielding efficiency decreased with increasing energy. The tenth-value layer (TVL) values decreased with higher P 2 O 5 concentrations but increased with higher energy. The phosphate rich glass (y= 35 mol%) exhibited the lowest TVL values (8.401 cm at 0.284 MeV, 11.928 cm at 0.662 MeV, and 16.355 cm at 1.275 MeV) and thus shows an excellent gamma- rays shielding properties. These findings demonstrate that P 2 O 5 incorporation strengthens the glass network and enhances the γ-ray shielding capability, positioning borophosphate glasses as promising lead-free shielding materials. • Study of borophosphate glasses with composition 30Na 2 O – (70-y) B 2 O 3 –y P 2 O 5 (where y = 0, 14, 21, and 35 mol%) for gamma shielding. • Use of Phy-X/PSD software to calculate attenuation coefficients and half/third value layers (HVL/TVL). • Linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) decreases with energy but increases with P 2 O 5 content. • Le nombre atomique effectif Z eff augmente avec le P 2 O 5 , atteignant un maximum à 0,284 MeV (Z eff = 8,92 pour NBP4). • NBP4 (phosphate-rich) glass shows the best gamma shielding efficiency, with the lowest TVL values.