Enhancing mechanical, physical, radiation attenuation properties in alumino-barium-titanium-calcium-lithium glasses for nuclear applications: The pivotal role of TiO2 additives

This study focused on enhancing key material properties of Alumino-Barium-Titanium-Calcium-Lithium glasses for nuclear applications, specifically by integrating increasing amounts of TiO2 additives. Utilizing the MCNPX general-purpose Monte Carlo code, version 2.7.0, the research aimed to ascertain Transmission Factor (TF) values across a spectrum of well-known radioisotope energies. This analysis was conducted for glass samples with varying thicknesses, ranging from 0.5 cm to 3 cm. The study also delved into the gamma-ray shielding characteristics of these glasses at energy levels between 0.015 and 15 MeV, uncovering notable findings. In exploring the T1 to T12 glass system, various physical and optical methods were employed to measure key parameters like glass density (rho glass), molar volume (Vm), oxygen molar volume (OMV), and oxygen packing density (OPD). A significant outcome of this research was the observation that with an increase in TiO2 content, there was a corresponding rise in glass density, from 3.727 g/cm3 to 3.825 g/cm3. Furthermore, the study noted alterations in the physical and mechanical properties of the glasses. Most notably, the T12 glass sample, which contained the highest concentration of TiO2, exhibited superior gamma-ray shielding properties compared to the other glass compositions analysed.