Tuning the Radiation Shielding Properties of Lead and Bismuth-Modified Borotellurite Glasses

This study investigated the radiation shielding properties of gamma photons for lead and bismuth-modified borotellurite glasses at certain energy values in the 0.122–0.867 MeV range. The investigated glasses’ mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) was explored, with the samples’ highest value at 0.122 MeV. The glass sample with lowest percentage concentration of Bi₂O₃ and PbO₂ (7 mol% each) has lower MAC than the other glasses, suggesting a low attenuation ability. The glasses’ linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) varied in the 4.579–8.273 cm⁻¹ range at 0.122 MeV, with the results emphasizing that Bi₂O₃ and PbO₂ addition improves the prepared glasses’ radiation shielding effectiveness. Investigation of the glasses’ half-value layer (HVL) found a decrease with increased density. At 0.779 MeV, the HVL values were in the 1.92–2.49 cm range. A positive relation between the Bi₂O₃ and PbO₂ amount and the glasses’ attenuation performance was found through the effective atomic number (Z_eff) results, with the highest Z_eff recorded for the glass with 11 mol% of both Bi₂O₃ and PbO₂. The glasses’ transmission factor (TF) was also calculated, with the results demonstrating an improved attenuation ability with increased sample thickness, and as the Bi₂O₃ and PbO₂ concentration increased, the TF values decreased.