Mechanical property evaluation of tellurite–germanate glasses and comparison of their radiation-shielding characteristics using EPICS2017 to other glass systems

Abstract

In this study, four tellurite–germanate glasses containing zinc, lithium, and bismuth with varied Bi2O3 and TeO2 amounts were investigated. The mechanical qualities of sample glasses were investigated and associated with their structural properties. Furthermore, the radiation-shielding capabilities of N1–N4 glasses were evaluated at 0.662 MeV using EPICS2017. The radiation-shielding characteristics were compared with the radiation-shielding parameters published in the literature for various glass systems. When TeO2 was replaced with Bi2O3, Young’s and bulk moduli of the material decreased. The L values of glasses were higher than their S values (14–13 GPa), indicating that they can tolerate longitudinal stress better than shear stress and can be bent rather than elongated readily. The MACs calculated were comparable to those obtained using WinXcom. The tenth-value layer (TVL) of all of the sample glasses was higher than that of the bismuth aluminosilicate glasses. All of the borate glass systems containing bismuth, sodium, and antimony had lower TVLs than N1–N3 glasses. The half-value layer was more in the N4 glass with the greatest Bi2O3 content than those in 50 and 60 mol% PbO-containing strontium borate glasses.

Keywords

• tellurite–germanate glasses
• epics2017
• mechanical and radiation-shielding properties