Optical, Thermal, and Radiation Shielding Characterization of Bismuth-Modified Zinc-Lithium-Tungsten-Borate Glass

Abstract This study examines the optical, thermal, and radiation attenuation properties of zinc-tungsten-lithium-borate glass modified with Bi 2 O 3 , synthesized using melt-quench techniques. The resulting glass samples display a significant physical property, with density increasing from 3.22 g cm −3 to 4.84 g cm −3 as Bi 2 O 3 concentration increase from 2 to 16 mol%. The optical band gap narrows from 2.9 eV to 2.55 eV, while the refractive index increases from 2.42 to 3.49, indicating a shift in absorption to lower energy levels. Higher Bi 2 O 3 concentrations reduce optical non-linearity while enhancing the linear optical properties of the synthesized glasses. The formation of orthoborate anions suggests that Bi 3+ ions in the glasses act as network modifiers, disrupting the borate framework and introducing structural disorder. Additionally, thermal properties, including glass transition temperature ( T g ), crystallization temperature ( T c ), and melting temperature ( T m ), decrease with increasing Bi 2 O 3 concentration. The radiation shielding effectiveness is significantly improved, with the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) increasing from 0.56 cm −1 to 1.35 cm −1 at 0.284 MeV and from 0.127 cm −1 to 0.186 cm −1 at 2.506 MeV as Bi 2 O 3 content rises from 2 mol% to 16 mol%. For a glass thickness of 1 cm, the radiation protection efficiency reaches approximately 74% for a photon energy of 0.284 MeV in the sample doped with 16 mol% Bi 2 O 3 . The glass’s remarkable combination of high transparency and effective radiation attenuation, positions it as a promising option for radiation shielding applications.