Comparative investigation of physical, X-ray and neutron radiation shielding properties for B2O3-MnO2-CdO borate glasses

B2O3-MnO2-CdO ternary oxide glasses with amorphous properties were synthesised using the melt-quenching method. Structural and physical property analyses showed that the amount of non-bridging oxygen and the system stiffness increases, and the oxide network filling is more tightly packed as cadmium oxide (CdO) gradually replaces manganese Oxide (MnO2) in the glass. The radiation-shielding performance of the B2O3-MnO2-CdO glasses was evaluated using the shielding parameters calculated by the MCNPX simulation and the Phy-X program. Glasses with 40% and 50% CdO loading exhibited an average specific lead equivalent (PbE) of 0.241 and 0.294 mmPb/mm in the medical X-ray diagnostic area at 0.03–0.08 MeV; thus, they could fully meet the specific PbE requirements for application as "protection devices against diagnostic medical X-radiation". Furthermore, their photon attenuation capability is superior to that of various commercial shielding glasses in fast-neutron nuclear applications at 1°–103 MeV. In addition, compared to the borate glass systems studied in the literature, B2O3-MnO2-CdO glasses have fast neutron removal cross-sections of 0.125 cm−1 at a smaller density of 3.9043–4.8135 g/cm3, making them potentially excellent fast neutron absorbers.