Balancing high density and scintillation light yield in Ce3+-doped gadolinium borosilicate glass

A series of Ce3+-doped borosilicate glasses is prepared with high Gd2O3 contents, and their physical, optical, and scintillation properties are investigated. The incorporation of Gd2O3 results in a notable augmentation of the glass density, elevating it from 4.5 g/cm3 to 6.0 g/cm3. Notably, the heaviest glass, containing 72.5 wt% of Gd, exhibits simultaneously an impressively high density of 6.0 g/cm3 and a reasonably good light yield of 1051 ph/MeV (under the γ-ray irradiation from a137Cs source), surpassing benchmarks documented for high-density glasses. The glass is colorless and remains highly transparent across the visible spectrum, exhibiting commendably good thermal stability and radiation endurance. Collectively, out results underscore the potential of the glass scintillators as a promising candidate material for high-energy particle calorimeters.