Fabrication and characterization of TeO2–Na2O–BaO glass doped with Yb2O3 for optical and particulate-radiation shielding applications: Role of Bi2O3/WO3

In this research, transparent 64TeO2–15Na2O–5BaO-(10-x)Bi2O3-(x+5)WO3-1Yb2O3 glasses were prepared and analysed for their optical, structural, and radiation protection potentials. Samples of the novel glasses were produced in the laboratory, starting with the melting-quenching process. The glasses were characterised using standard laboratory procedures and dedicated software. The influence of replacing WO3 with Bi2O3 on the investigated properties was highlighted. The values of the glass density increase from 5.42 g/cm3 to 5.67 g/cm3 as the bismuth oxide concentration increases from 0 to 10 mol%. XRD spectrograms of the glass samples reveal that they have an amorphous structure. The glasses had high optical transparency, which was reduced when WO3 was replaced by Bi. The photoluminescence decay showed that the luminescence lifetime of Yb3+ decreases with increasing bismuth concentration. For electrons, the mass stopping powers (Sp) were within 1.253–8.918 MeV cm2/g, 1.241–8.721 MeV cm2/g, and 1.232–8.549 MeV cm2/g for samples containing 0, 5, and 10 mol% of Bi2O3. Generally, Sp of electrons, protons, alpha particles, and 12C ions were in the order, (Sp)TWBi−0>(Sp)TWBi−5>(Sp)TWBi−10. Increasing the concentration of Bi atomic density in the glasses improved the total interaction probability of thermal neutrons but reduced the ability of the glasses to moderate fast neutrons.