Experimental Study of Radiation-Shielding Properties of BaO-Rich Sm-Doped Borate Glasses

In the present study, series of Sm2O3-doped borate-based glasses with the composition of B2O3–MgO–ZnO–BaO–Sm2O3 (BMZS) were synthesized using the melt quenching technique to determine their gamma-ray shielding effectiveness. The densities of the glasses increased from 3.950 g/cm3 (BMZS1) to 4.291 g/cm3 (BMZS4) with increasing BaO, which increased the probability of photon interaction. The gamma-ray attenuation parameters were obtained using a high-purity germanium detector at photon energies of 662, 1173, and 1332 keV. The results of the study indicate that the addition of BaO brings about increases in the density of the glasses and also greatly improves the attenuation parameters. The BMZS4 sample (35 mol % BaO) was the densest sample prepared (4.291 g/cm3) and provided improved gamma shielding properties, as indicated by the increasing linear attenuation coefficients (0.329 cm−1), reducing the half value layer (2.105 cm at 662 keV) and the increased mean-free-path and tenth value layer values. The experimental mass attenuation coefficients were in agreement with theoretical data with typical deviations between 2% and 5%. The BMZS4 sample produced superior attenuation performance values when compared to the previous glass systems (NZBC and BNASK) in all values of the measurements undertaken. In conclusion, BaO-rich BMZS glasses may provide exciting lead-free candidates for reliable gamma-ray shielding applications, with BMZS4 providing the best overall performance.