Role of Nd (III) ions on B2O3–TeO2-GeO2-MgO glass composition for optical and ionizing protection application

Abstract

In this investigation, we reported three glass samples of Nd (III) ions doped boro-tellurite-germanite glasses. The chemical composition of (35-x) B2O3–20TeO2-10GeO2-35MgO-xNd2O3 where x = 2.5, 5, and 7.5, all in mol%, was used to synthesize an optical glass. XRD, FTIR, and optical absorption were utilized to evaluate the structural and optical properties of Nd2.5, Nd5.0, and Nd7.5. X-ray diffraction was measured in the spectra range of 10–80°. Additionally, spectra of FT-IR in the wavenumber range of 400–4000 cm−1 were reported to investigate all structural groups. Several absorption peaks related to the transitions from ground level 4I9/2 to the other excited state were investigated. Various mechanical, optical, and physical properties were calculated theoretically and analyzed to determine the role of the rare earth ions (Nd3+). The optical electronegativity (χ) and optical basicity (Λ) results showed a reduction in the strength of the bond and formed an ionic bond in the glass structure due to adding Nd2O3. These results align with the reduction in the elastic modulus results by adding Nd2O3 instead of B2O3. Radiation shielding parameters like HVL, TVL, MFP, and Zeff were thoroughly reported for all Nd2.5, Nd5.0, and Nd7.5, which showed slight improvement when Nd2O3 was added instead of B2O3.

Keywords

• Nd2O3
• Germanate glasses
• Radiation shielding
• Tellurite glasses
• Rare earth ions