Impact of Gd 2 O 3 Incorporation in Structural, Optical, Thermal, Mechanical, and Radiation Blocking Nature in HMO Boro-Tellurite Glasses †.

The glass system of B₂O₃-SiO₂-TeO₂-Bi₂O₃-ZnO-BaO doped with Gd₂O₃ (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mol%) (BiTeGd-x) was prepared by using the melt-quench technique. The density of glasses increased from 5.323–5.579 g cm⁻³ for 0–4 mol% with an increase in Gd₂O₃ concentration. The simulation results obtained using Photon Shielding and Dosimetry (PSD) software (Phy-X version) produced the maximum mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) and minimum half-value layer (HVL) in the entire photon energy spectrum 0.015–15 MeV, suggesting the highest potential of BiTeGd-4 glass to act as a shield against low and high-energy radiation photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]