FTIR, Raman spectroscopic, microstructure and neutron-particle interaction properties of Mo3+ doped cadmium zinc lithium-borate glasses.

The application of different glass materials in the area of radiation shielding and charge particle attenuation has necessitated a comprehensive study of glass materials doped with special elements to examine the impact of the special element on the microstructure and shielding capabilities of resultant glass materials. In this study, the optical absorption spectra of Mo3+ doped cadmium zinc lithium borate glasses (BCZLMx) was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopic methods to ascertain the suitability of BCZLMx glass microstructure to neutron and charge particle attenuation. Results show that the absorption cross-section is the dominant contributor to the total cross section for all samples, ranging from 110.9 cm−1 to 111.7 cm−1. BCZLM1 glass sample appears to be slightly more effective at removing fast neutrons from the beam while BCZLM5 glasses are effective at stopping electrons, protons, alpha particles, and carbon ions when compared to the other BCZLMx glasses samples. This implies that doping cadmium zinc lithium borate glasses with Mo3+ reduces fast and thermal neutrons shielding potential and increased charge particles interaction of the BCZLMx glass system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]