Thermo-physical and elastic properties of Bi2O3 doped silica borotellurite glasses

Five different samples of bismuth silica borotellurite (BSBT) glasses with the empirical equation {[(TeO2)0.7 (B2O3)0.3]0.8 (RHA)0.2}1−x (Bi2O3)x was synthesized utilising the melt-quenching method. The glass density and molar volume illustrated increasing trend accordingly with the increase in the Bi2O3 content. The XRD analysis revealed a broad hump without intense peaks, indicating the glassy identity of the BSBT glasses. The FTIR spectra show the presence of five absorption bands. The longitudinal (44.657–54.263 GPa), shear (19.119–19.946 GPa), bulk (17.784–27.668 GPa) and Young (43.886–49.156 GPa) moduli of the glasses’ demonstrated non-uniform behaviour as the Bi2O3 concentration increased. The micro-hardness, softening temperature, Debye temperature and the latent heat of melting were presented. The elastic/mechanical parameters together with the thermo-physical properties of the studied glasses suggest the glasses are mechanically and thermally stable for applications in radiation shielding, optoelectronics and fibre optics.