Mechanical features and radiation shielding properties of TeO2–Ag2O-WO3 glasses

This work aimed to investigate the mechanical features and radiation shielding properties of (100–2x)TeO2+xAg2O + xWO3 (where x = 7.5, 15, 22.5, and 30 mol%) glass system. Based on Makishima–Mackenzie's theory, the basic mechanical features such as packing density, Poisson's ratio, elastic moduli, hardness, and fractal bond connectivity were studied. The shielding investigations included the radiations of gamma, electron, neutron, and heavy charged particles. Geant4 toolkit and newly developed Phy-X program were employed to evaluate mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), transmission factors (HVL and MFP), exposure buildup factor (EBF) and effective atomic number (Zeff) of gamma and charged particles for the studied glasses. Neutron shielding investigation was examined by determining neutron removal cross section (NRCS) of the glasses involved. The results showed that Ag2O and WO3 contents had an insignificant effect on the mechanical properties of the investigated glass system. In contrast, the Ag2O and WO3 contents had a significant effect on the shielding capacity of the glasses against gamma radiation and charged particles. The Zeff values were in the range of 24–60 for gamma, 24–31 for electron, 18–24 for proton, 15–23 for alpha, and 13–19 for carbon ion. The shielding properties of these glasses were compared with those of commonly used shields. The investigated glass system can be used in shielding applications, wherein Ag2O and WO3 contents can be balanced with the TeO2 content according to the type and energy of the radiation.