Tailoring glass characteristics: Unveiling the impact of PbO and ZnO in Titanium-Barium borate glasses for advanced radiation protection

•(70-x-y)B2O3-20BaO-10TiO2-xZnO-yPbO glasses were prepared for radiation shielding.•The impact of ZnO and PbO on the radiation shielding properties was studied.•30B2O3 + 20BaO + 10TiO2 + 20ZnO + 20PbO exhibited the best radiation shielding performance. This study focused on synthesizing glasses with the formula (70-x-y)B2O3-20BaO-10TiO2-xZnO-yPbO (where x = y = 5, 10, 15, and 20 mol %) using the melt-quenching approach and examined the impact of ZnO and PbO substitution on the mechanical, optical, and radiation shielding properties of these glasses. The mechanical moduli and micro-hardness decreased with higher ZnO and PbO concentrations, indicating reduced rigidity and elasticity. Optical analyses demonstrated that as ZnO and PbO contents increased, the absorption edge shifted to longer wavelengths, and the optical band gap (Eg) decreased. Furthermore, Urbach energy (EU) values increased from 0.212 to 0.431 eV, indicating a higher degree of structural disorder. Radiation shielding studies revealed that glasses with higher concentrations of ZnO and PbO demonstrated enhanced shielding capabilities. Among the glasses prepared, the sample with the composition 30B2O3 + 20BaO + 10TiO2 + 20ZnO + 20PbO exhibited the best performance, characterized by a high mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) and linear attenuation coefficient (LAC).