High-transparency barium glasses for hazardous nuclear radiation protection in medical laboratories

The objective of this study was to examine the radiation protection capabilities of glass specimens with the composition xBaO: 1.5Dy2O3: 25ZnO: 5Al2O3: 30B2O3: (x-38.5)SiO2 by varying x = 10 (Ba10) to 35 (Ba35) mol% of BaO concentrations. The glass specimens were fabricated using the melt-quenching technique. The results revealed that the physical and optical properties, such as density (ρ), molar volume (Vm), and refractive index (RI), had a similar trend. The % transmission result of glass specimens indicates higher transparency than those of commercial and x-ray windows. The experimental values of total attenuation (μm) in this study used the Compton scattering technique. The obtained results were then compared with theoretical calculation obtained from the WinXCom program and the PHITS (Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System) Monte Carlo simulation. The results indicated the values of μm, effective atomic number (Zeff), and electron density (Neff) increase with the rise in BaO content. However, these values decrease at higher energy levels. The observed trends align with the theoretical predictions of the WinXCom program and the obtained results from the PHITS Monte Carlo simulation. The half-value layer (HVL) showed better shielding properties than both standard radiation shielding glass and other materials. Additionally, an examination of energy absorption (EABF) and exposure buildup factors (EBF) revealed a distinct advantage associated with the incorporation of BaO atoms. This advantageous effect was observed in the reduction of photon scattering events, further enhancing the overall efficacy of the shielding properties in the glass specimens under study.