Impact of mixed heavy metal cations (Ba and Bi) on the structure, optical and ionizing radiation shielding parameters of Bi2O3–BaO–Fe2O3–SrO–B2O3 glass matrix.

The impacts of the Bi 2 O 3 /BaO ratio on the microstructure, optical, ligand field, and radiation shielding features of BSrFeBaBi glass matrix. The Bi 2 O 3 content of the BSrFeBaBi glasses was increased from 0 to 20 mol%. The density increased from 3.77 g / cm 3 to 5.00 g / cm 3 and the molar volume increased from 24.74 cm 3 / mol to 31.17 cm 3 / mol with increasing Bi 2 O 3 /BaO ratio. The optical analysis confirmed that the transparency of BSrFeBaBi glasses in the visible region is high. Moreover, the presence of Fe cations in the octahedral coordination (FeO 6 units) was confirmed. Furthermore, the fundamental absorption edge of BSrFeBaBi glasses shifts towards lower energies with additional Bi 2 O 3 /BaO concentrations, confirming the reduced behavior of the optical band gap. Also, ligand field splitting values decreased while Racah parameters increased. The obtained results demonstrate a tendency of the bonds between the Fe ions and their surroundings towards higher degree of ionic nature. Furthermore, the Bi 2 O 3 /BaO ratio demonstrated an enhanced radiation shielding behavior. Finally, BSrFeBaBi glasses exhibit favorable attributes for use in the radiation shielding domain due to their efficient radiation shielding features and transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]