Synthesis and characterization of the optical MgO-BaO-B2O3-TeO2-MnO2 glass system

The paper reports on the preparation and characterization of the optical 15MgO-15BaO-(59.5-x)B2O3-(10+x)TeO2 glass system, with (x = 0 (MBBMn-1), 10 (MBBMn-2), 20 (MBBMn-3), and 30 mol% (MBBMn-4)). Using the melt-quench experimental synthesis method, we prepared our glass system and the influence of TeO2 on the physical, structural, optical, and radiation shielding properties were studied. The bandgap (Eopt), Urbach energy (∆E), refractive index (n), and other parameters were calculated using UV data. The stopping power and range of electron, proton, α-particle and carbon ion were estimated for kinetic energies 0.015–15 MeV. Also, the fat and thermal neutron cross sections were estimated following the standard procedures. The structural evaluation of the glass network as well as the functional groups inherent in the structure was explored using FTIR and Raman spectra. At particle energy of 15 MeV, the range of electron was estimated as 25.89, 22.47, 20.49, and 19.79 mm in MBBMn-1–MBBMn-4 respectively. Also, for proton, α-particle, and carbon ion the projected range was 1080, 100.02 and 10.67 µm in MBBMN-1; 1030, 96.86, and 10.44 µm in MBBMN-2; 986, 93.95, 10.26 µm in MBBMN-3; and 942, 91.03, and 10 µm in MBBMN-4. The fast neutron removal cross section was 0.1069, 0.1066, 0.1063, and 0.1044 cm-1 for MBBMn-1 – MBBMn-4 in that order while the total cross section of thermal neutrons declined from 95.7025 to 74.8538 as the molar concentration of TeO2 increased from 10 to 40 mol% in the MBBMn glasses.