2. 32 K. Kaur et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 285 (2015) 31–38
Pisarska, 2009; Watanabe et al., 2001). Also, phosphate glasses have
well established properties of high thermal expansion coefficients,
low preparation temperatures and good transparency to visible
light (Chanthima et al., 2012; Im et al., 2010; Kirdsiri et al., 2011;
Wilder, 1980). In the light of this situation, phosphate glasses
can be potential candidates for applications as shielding materials
(Kaewkhao et al., 2010).
The purpose of this work is to study the gamma ray shielding
and structural properties of BaO doped PbO-P2O5 glass system as
function of composition. Glasses containing phosphorus as a glass
former and alkali and alkaline earth metals as modifiers have been
found to be stable (Sene et al., 2004). Phosphorus is a strong glass
former which participates with polymer like structure of regu-
lar tetrahedron of PO4
3− groups which are linked together with
covalent bonding in chains or rings. These chains or rings of phos-
phate have been subjected to modifications to various extents
with addition of modifier. Change in structure has been investi-
gated FTIR, UV–visible and Raman spectroscopy techniques. This
is accompanied by determining the shielding properties of the
glass system in terms of the values of the mass attenuation coeffi-
cient and half value layer parameters at photon energies 662, 1173
and 1332 keV. The values have been compared with conventional
radiation shielding concrete ‘barite’ by using WinXCom computer
software (Gerward et al., 2004). Moreover, mechanical proper-
ties of the glass system have been determined theoretically by
using Yamane and Mackenzie’s procedure (Yamane and Mackenzie,
1974).
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Sample preparation
Glass samples of the system xBaO·(45 − x)P2O5·55PbO
(x = 1–5 wt%) are prepared by melt quenching technique. Appro-
priate amounts of AR grade chemicals of NH4H2PO4, BaCO3 and
PbO are used to prepare the samples. NH4H2PO4 is used as source
material for P2O5 component. 20 g batch of each composition
is mixed well and melted in porcelain crucible above 950 ◦C for
2 h until homogeneous mixture is obtained. Further, annealing is
undertaken around 350 ◦C in pre-heated copper mold for 30 min
followed by slow cooling to room temperature in order to remove
internal stress. Cylindrical shape samples are grounded for mea-
surements. Chemical composition of the prepared glass samples
are provided in Table 1.
2.2. Density and molar volume studies
This is the simple but powerful tool to study the changes occur-
ring in structure of glasses. These parameters are affected by the
structural softening or compactness. Density of prepared glass
samples is calculated by Archimedes principle using benzene as
immersion liquid. Archimedes principle is a well-established tool to
evaluate the density values of the glass samples (Limkitjaroenporn
et al., 2011). Density of prepared glass samples is calculated by
the above mentioned principle using pure benzene as immersion
liquid. Density ( ) is calculated as per the following relation:
=
W1
(W1 − W2)
× benzene (1)
where W1 = weight of sample in air; W2 = weight of sample in ben-
zene; benzene = density of benzene at room temperature.
Measured density values are reported in Table 1.
Molar volume (Vm) of glass is obtained by
Vm =
M
(2)
where is the density of the glass samples calculated by
Archimedes principle and M is the molar mass of the prepared glass
samples.
2.3. XRD studies
XRD study of prepared samples has been undertaken by Bruker
D8 Focus. Cu K␣ lines were the source of X-rays with high inten-
sity. Wavelength (∼1.54 ˚A) at scanning rate of 2◦/min in the angle
(2Â) range 10◦ to 70◦ has been used for identification of amorphous
nature of samples.
2.4. FTIR studies
FTIR study of prepared samples has been undertaken by Perkin
Elmer spectrometer (C92035) at the room temperature in the range
of 400 to 3600 cm−1. Hydraulic press was employed to prepare pel-
lets of sample powder with KBr in the ratio (1:100). FTIR study is
an important tool to identify the various bands present in the glass
system (explained in Section 4.2.2).
2.5. Raman studies
Raman study of prepared samples has been undertaken by Ren-
ishaw InViva Raman microscope with 488 nm laser in the range
30–1600 cm−1 at the room temperature. Raman study has been
used to identify the chemical changes in the structure by identi-
fying the presence of different modes (stretching or vibrations) in
the investigated system (explained in Section 4.2.3).
2.6. UV–visible studies
Optical absorption measurements were performed on pre-
pared glass samples exposed to UV–visible radiations in the range
200–800 nm with CECIL UV–visible spectrophotometer. Obtained
data has been used to calculate optical band gap using Tauc’s plots
(Abdelghany et al., 2011) (explained in Section 4.2.5).
3. Theory/calculation
3.1. Gamma ray shielding properties
Mass attenuation coefficient ( / ) of prepared samples can be
determined theoretically by using mixture rule and XCOM com-
puter software (Gerward et al., 2004) developed by NIST. Mass
attenuation coefficient can be evaluated by using the following
relation:
Mass Attenuation Coefficient = wi
i
(3)
where wi is weight fraction of the constituent elements and ( / )i
is mass attenuation coefficients of the constituent elements. The
variation of mass attenuation coefficient with wt% of BaO for our
glass system is given in Fig. 1.
Half value layer (HVL) parameter of the samples can be eval-
uated by using the linear attenuation coefficient ( ) as per the
formula given below:
HVL =
0.693
(4)
with the help HVL value, it is possible to determine the thickness of
material required for gamma ray shielding applications. HVL is the
thickness of a shielding material required to reduce the intensity
of gamma rays by half. Smaller HVL values of our prepared glass
samples than barite concrete shows that the volume requirements
of our glass system for shielding will be lesser.
3. K. Kaur et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 285 (2015) 31–38 33
Table 1
Chemical composition (in wt%), density ( ) and molar volume (Vm) of investigated glass samples.
Sample code Composition in wt% Density ( ) (g/cm3
) Molar volume (Vm)
(cm3
)
PbO BaO P2O5
PbBaP1 55 1.0 44 4.415 40.27
PbBaP2 55 2.0 43 4.512 39.43
PbBaP3 55 3.0 42 4.610 38.62
PbBaP4 55 4.0 41 4.780 37.29
PbBaP5 55 5.0 40 4.865 36.67
Effective atomic number (Zeff) is a fundamental property of com-
pounds and mixtures. Investigated glass system belongs to category
of mixtures and effective atomic number of such glass systems is
calculated by using user-friendly software auto-Zeff (Taylor et al.,
2012) developed by Medical Radiation Physics Research Group of
RMIT University for the robust, energy-dependent computation of
effective atomic number. The variation of effective atomic number
computed using software is shown in Fig. 3.
3.2. Average coordination number
A chemical change occurs in glass network with addition of
modifier. Therefore, average coordination number of constituent
elements also changes. This change in average coordination num-
ber is given by
m = ncixi (5)
where nci is the coordination number of each cation. Coordination
numbers for Ba, P and Pb are 6, 4 and 6, respectively. Octahedral
geometry of Pb and Ba and tetrahedral geometry of P have been
confirmed from FTIR spectra (Shih, 2003).
3.3. Bond density
Addition of metal oxide affects the number of bonds per unit
volume (nb) which is calculated as
nb =
NA
Vm
ncxi (6)
where NA is the Avogadro’s number, Vm is the molar volume, nc is
the coordination number of cation and xi is the mole fraction of
different oxides.
Fig. 1. Mass attenuation coefficient of prepared samples and barite concrete.
3.4. Packing density
It is an important parameter to describe the packing of atoms.
Packing density (Vt) is calculated as
Vt =
ViXi
Vm
(7)
where Vi is the packing factor for each component. xi is the mole
fraction of different oxides and Vm is the molar volume of the pre-
pared samples. Vi is calculated by using “Pauling ionic radii” for
cations and anions in the system (Makishima and Mackenzie, 1973).
For example, if AmOn is the compound then its Vi can be calculated
by using the following formula:
Vi =
4
3
× II × N∗
A mR3
A + nR3
O (8)
where NA is Avogadro’s number and RA and Ro are the Pauling ionic
radii of cation and anion for each component of prepared glass
sample, respectively.
3.5. Elastic properties
Glass is considered as elastic substance. Mechanical properties
for prepared glass samples can be characterized through elas-
tic properties like modulus of elasticity, compressibility, Poisson’s
ratio etc. (Sidek et al., 2012). In the presented work, elastic prop-
erties for our glass system have been calculated by using Yamane
and Mackenzie’s procedure (Yamane and Mackenzie, 1974).
3.5.1. Poisson’s ratio
The Poisson’s ratio ( ) is the ratio of the transverse to linear
strain for a linear stress. The concentration of bonds resist-
ing a transverse deformation decrease as per the following
order for different type of networks (three dimensional < two
dimensional < one dimensional) (Damodaran and Rao, 1989). It is
calculated by using the relation
= (0.5) −
1
(7.2Vt)
(9)
3.6. Refractive index
From UV–visible studies, band gap has been calculated using
Tauc’s plots (Abdelghany et al., 2011). Plot has been drawn for
(˛h )1/2 as function of h . Here ˛, h and are absorption coefficient,
Planck’s constant and frequency of UV–visible radiation. Intercept
on the energy (h ) axis of the above mentioned plot provides the
value of band gap (Eg). Details of the calculation procedure are pro-
vided in Singh et al. (2014). Values of band gap have been used to
calculate the refractive index (n) using the equation:
n2 − 1
n2 + 2
= 1 − sqrt
Eg
20
(10)
where Eg is the band gap obtained from optical absorption data and
their values are provided in Table 6.
4. 34 K. Kaur et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 285 (2015) 31–38
Table 2
Mass attenuation coefficient of glass samples and barite concrete.
Sample code Mass attenuation coefficient ( / ) (cm2
/g)
662 keV 1173 keV 1332 keV
PbBaP1 0.09364 0.05994 0.05529
PbBaP2 0.09365 0.05989 0.05524
PbBaP3 0.09366 0.05984 0.05519
PbBaP4 0.09367 0.05979 0.05514
PbBaP5 0.09369 0.05974 0.05509
Barite concrete 0.0780 0.0565 0.0528
3.7. Molar refraction
Molar refraction (RM) is calculated by using Lorentz–Lorentz
equation (Duffy, 2002)
RM =
n2 − 1
n2 + 2
× (Vm) (11)
where the factor (n2 − 1)/(n2 + 2) is called refraction loss. Values of
refractive index and molar refraction are provided in Table 6.
3.8. Cation polarizability
Cation polarizability (˛) is calculated by using the equation
˛ =
3RM
4IINA
(12)
Cation polarizability has been expressed in Å3.
4. Results and discussion
4.1. Gamma ray shielding properties
4.1.1. Mass attenuation coefficient
Mass attenuation coefficient is an important parameter to esti-
mate gamma ray shielding properties of the glass systems. Details
of exact version of XCOM software and its link to the website are
provided in Berger et al. (2010). Many researchers have evaluated
mass attenuation coefficient experimentally of several materials
(including glasses) and compared their results with the theoretical
results obtained by XCOM (Kaundal et al., 2010; Kharita et al., 2012;
Medhat, 2009; Singh et al., 2005, 2006, 2008). Good agreement was
found between experimental and calculated values.
In the presented work, mass attenuation coefficient values for
our glass system has been obtained by using computer program
XCOM developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST). Results have been compared with the values of concrete
‘barite’ at the same photon energies as given in Table 2. It has been
observed that the values of mass attenuation coefficient parameter
for our glass system are much higher than ‘barite’ at same photon
energies.
Comparative results have been shown in Fig. 1. It has been
observed that with the increase in the weight fraction of BaO, mass
attenuation of glass samples also increase which may be attributed
to increase in content of heavy metals in the glass samples.
4.1.2. Half value layer
Half value layer (HVL) is also very useful parameter to iden-
tify the suitable specimen for gamma ray shielding applications.
The glass sample having lower value of HVL is the better shielding
material in terms of thickness requirements.
Values for our glass system are compared with ‘barite’ concrete
at same photon energies given in Table 3. It has been observed that
HVL values of our glass system are smaller than ‘barite’ concrete at
Table 3
Half value layer (HVL) parameter of glass samples and barite concrete.
Sample code Half value layer (HVL) (cm)
662 keV 1173 keV 1332 keV
PbBaP1 1.71 2.67 3.03
PbBaP2 1.67 2.62 2.97
PbBaP3 1.57 2.46 2.79
PbBaP4 1.54 2.42 2.74
PbBaP5 1.51 2.37 2.69
Barite concrete 2.54 3.50 3.75
same photon energies. HVL values decrease with increase in weight
fraction of BaO in the system (as shown in Fig. 2) due to increase in
mass attenuation coefficient and corresponding density values of
the system. Therefore, it is evident that higher value of weight frac-
tion of BaO improves the gamma ray shielding properties in terms
of mass attenuation coefficient and half value layer parameters.
4.1.3. Effective atomic number
It has been observed that there is decrease in effective atomic
number values for all the glass systems with increase in photon
energy from 662 to 1173 and further to 1332 keV which can be
due to dependence of cross-section of photoelectric process which
varies inversely with the incident photon energy as E3.5 (Sharma
et al., 2012).
Among the above investigated samples, PbBaP5 has maximum
value of effective atomic number as shown in Fig. 3. This behavior
can be explained as follows. Cross-section for Compton scattering
depends on Z and the PbBaP5 sample has highest value of weight
fraction of all heavy atomic number compounds. This also explains
the increase in Z effective values from sample PbBaP1 to PbBaP5 at
all the investigated gamma ray energies.
4.2. Structural properties
4.2.1. XRD studies
XRD patterns of investigated samples are shown in Fig. 4.
Absence of sharp peaks confirms the amorphous nature of samples.
A small hump at 2Â of 25–30◦ is due to loss of heat and formation
of some nucleation sites. During the quenching of melt into copper
mold, some of the atoms of the melt get aligned in periodic way at
the walls of the mold.
4.2.2. FTIR studies
Fig. 5 shows the FTIR spectra of investigated samples. The spec-
tra shows sharp absorption band at 893–699 cm−1 due to formation
Fig. 2. Half value layer graph of prepared samples and barite concrete.
5. K. Kaur et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 285 (2015) 31–38 35
Table 4
Observed FTIR peaks as function of wave number.
Wave number (cm−1
) Structural units References
3400–3450 Bending and stretching vibrations of water molecules Le Saoût et al. (2002)
1600–1650 Bending and stretching vibrations of water molecule Dayanand et al. (1996), Sene et al. (2004)
1300–1400 Transformation of PO4
3−
units to PO3
−
groups Sene et al. (2004)
1234 Due to presence of P O and P O−
groups Le Saoût et al. (2002)
1100 Partial breakdown of phosphate chains or rings with
addition of modifier, formation of M O P bond where
(M = Ba or Pb)
Le Saoût et al. (2002), Sene et al. (2004), Shih
(2003)
1080–980 Ionic character of PO4
3−
Dayanand et al. (1996)
Near 900 Symmetric vibrations of P O P Le Saoût et al. (2002)
893–699 P O P Le Saoût et al. (2002)
Near 700 Anti-symmetric vibrations of P O P Le Saoût et al. (2002)
Fig. 3. Variation of Z effective with photon energy for prepared glass samples.
of P O P structure. Band near 900 cm−1 is due to symmetric vibra-
tions and near 700 cm−1 is due to anti symmetric vibrations of
P O P structure. Absorption peak in the range 1080–980 cm−1 can
be assigned to ionic character of PO4
3− which is present in all P2O5
glasses (Dayanand et al., 1996). Maximum intensity near 1100 cm−1
suggest partial break down of phosphate chains or rings with
addition of modifier. Peaks in the region of 1600–1650 cm−1 and
3400–3450 cm−1 is due to bending and stretching vibrations of con-
taminated water having no role in glass structure. This involves only
intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Absorption peak at 1234 cm−1 is
due to presence of P O and P O− groups. A small peak in the region
1300–1400 cm−1 is due to transformation of PO4
3− units to PO3
−
groups with the addition of modifier (Sene et al., 2004). Therefore,
it can be estimated that phosphate glasses consist of a sequence
Fig. 4. XRD patterns of prepared samples.
Fig. 5. FTIR spectra of prepared samples.
of PO4
3− tetrahedrons and single PO4
3− unit which can be linked
to three other P O P linkages. Conversion of PO4
3− to PO3
− units
may be done due to the breaking of P O P bonds due to addition
of some cations like Ba2+ (Sene et al., 2004) (Table 4).
4.2.3. Raman studies
Fig. 6 presents Raman spectra of investigated samples. Both
polar and non-polar vibrations of phosphates lattices are active in
infrared as well as in Raman spectra. Phosphorus is a strong glass
former participating with polymer like structures of regular tetra-
hedron of PO4
3− groups which are linked together with covalent
bonding in chains or rings. In Raman spectra, the bands appeared
at 695 cm−1 due to vibrations of P O P chain and at 1064 cm−1
due to the stretching modes of P O− group which are formed due
to breaking of P O P chains with addition of modifier. The highest
intensity in the band at 1144 cm−1 is due to PO2 groups. The band
Fig. 6. Raman spectra of prepared samples.
6. 36 K. Kaur et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 285 (2015) 31–38
Table 5
Observed Raman peaks as function of wave number.
Wave number (cm−1
) Structural units References
1144 Presence of PO2 groups Le Saoût et al. (2002)
1064 Stretching modes of P O−
group Smith et al. (2014)
695 P O P chain Le Saoût et al. (2002)
327 Bending modes of phosphate polyhedral with addition of modifier Le Saoût et al. (2002), Smith et al. (2014)
become broader with the increase in the weight percentage of BaO
in the prepared glass sample because it acts as the network modi-
fier and it results in the broadening of bands in Raman spectra (Le
Saoût et al., 2002) (Table 5).
4.2.4. Density and molar volume measurements
Results of density and molar volume are provided in Table 1.
Density of the system increases and molar volume decreases with
increase in wt% of BaO in the prepared samples. Decrease in molar
volume with increase in the content of BaO may be attributed to the
structural changes occurring in the coordination of phosphorous
and lead in glass network.
4.2.5. UV–visible studies
Results of optical studies are provided in Table 6. Band gap of the
prepared samples is obtained from Tauc’s plot (Abdelghany et al.,
2011). Increase in value of band gap and decrease in value of refrac-
tive index and molar refraction is observed with increase in wt% of
BaO in prepared samples which can be related to structural changes
in lead and phosphorus.
4.2.6. Calculated parameters
Above inferences about structural properties are also supported
by the calculated parameters. Table 6 shows the variation of optical
parameters with composition. From the tabulated values, it can be
estimated that with the increase in the content of BaO from 1 wt%
to 5 wt%, optical band gap increases from 2.88 to 3.07 eV which
indicate decrease in non-bridging oxygens in the system (Novatski
et al., 2008). Refractive index is also an important parameter to
elucidate the structure of glasses. The value of refractive index
depends upon the individual ions present in the glass and cation
polarizability. Value of refractive index increases with increase
in ratio of non-bridging oxygens to bridging oxygens (Bhardwaj
et al., 2014) and it also increases cation polarizability (Dimitrov
and Sakka, 1996). Cation polarizability (˛) has important chemi-
cal implications, therefore, it is subject of various studies (Duffy,
2002).
In the presented glass system, the value of cation polariz-
ability decreases from 10.91 ˚A3 to 9.81 ˚A3 (Table 6). The value
of refractive index also decreases indicating the decrease in
the number of non-bridging oxygens (Sastry and Rao, 2014)
with increase in wt% of BaO. The molar refraction is consid-
ered as the sum of the contributions of the cationic refraction
and oxygen ionic refraction (Bhardwaj et al., 2014). The val-
ues of molar refraction decrease with the addition of BaO
(Table 6). The value of average coordination number of the sys-
tem increases with increase in wt% of BaO. Increasing content
of BaO results in increase in the number of bridging oxygens
which in turn decreases the number of non-bridging oxygens.
This leads to change in the glass structure. Glass is considered as
elastic substance. This property of glasses is governed by elastic
moduli.
Table 7 shows compositional dependence of the elastic prop-
erties with change in the content of BaO. Packing density of the
system increases with increase in wt% of BaO (Table 7). This reveals
that BaO acts as network modifier and enhances the rigidity of pre-
pared samples. Poisson’s ratio also gives the idea of the rigidity
of the glass samples. It is the measure of cross-link density. For
systems having high cross link density, Poisson’s ratio lies in the
range 0.1–0.2 and for low cross link density, value lies in the range
0.3–0.5 (Gowda et al., 2005). In our glass samples, the value of
Poisson’s ratio is found to be in the range 0.269–0.280 (Table 7).
The results of Poisson’s ratio show the tightening in the bonds of
glass structure and hence the increase in the rigidity of glass struc-
ture. When an oxide is introduced in the system, the strength of
the structure depends on the field strength of the cation. As BaO
favors the mechanical properties (Kityk et al., 2002), therefore,
increase in the weight fraction of BaO content in the glass system
has resulted in increasing of elastic moduli values (Table 7). This
indicates the resistance to deformation at higher content of BaO
which is due to presence of large number of covalent bonds (Sidek
et al., 2012).
In the earlier reported glass systems, it has been observed
that gamma ray shielding properties improve and elastic prop-
erties deteriorate with the addition of heavy metal oxides which
restricts the selection of compromising composition for gamma ray
shielding applications. In the presented glass system (BaO doped
PbO-P2O5 glass system), it has been estimated that both gamma
ray shielding and elastic properties improve at the higher content
of heavy metal oxide. This result indicate that in the presented glass
system, the glass sample with higher content of BaO can be ideal
composition for gamma ray shielding applications. Earlier reported
restriction for selection of compromising composition has been
removed in the barium oxide doped lead oxide phosphate glass
system.
Better values of gamma ray shielding parameters in terms of
mass attenuation coefficient and half value layer of our glass sys-
tem as compared to barite concrete indicate that our glass samples
can be possible candidate for gamma ray shielding applications.
Reported glass samples have been found to be transparent to visi-
ble light which further enhances their chance for utility as nuclear
reactor shield. The addition of BaO has increased the values of den-
sity of the system and simultaneously decreased the molar volume
values. This observation can be related to increase in the com-
pactness of the glass structure which can be further correlated
to the decrease in bond length or interatomic spacing between
atoms of glasses (Bürger et al., 1992; Singh et al., 2012). Addition
of BaO affects the number of bonds per unit volume. It has been
inferred from bond density data that with addition of the content
of BaO, bonds per unit volume increase. This reveals that BaO acts as
network modifier. Packing density data of the studied glass struc-
ture shows increasing rigidity of the structure with the increase
in the content of BaO. These inferences are supported by Pois-
son’s ratio results which also give the idea of rigidity of structure.
Obtained results show tightening in the bonds of glass structure
and hence, increase in rigidity of the structure at higher content
of BaO. Increase in strength of glass structure and hence, rigidity
can lead to modification in mechanical properties. FTIR, Raman and
UV–visible techniques have also been used to investigate the struc-
tural properties of our glass system. Above mentioned techniques
indicate that number of non-bridging oxygens decrease with the
increase in the content of barium oxide which may further lead to
the formation of more number of covalent bonds. Therefore, both
theoretical and experimental results are complimentary to each
7. K. Kaur et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 285 (2015) 31–38 37
Table 6
Optical properties of prepared glass samples.
Sample code Cation
polarizability
(˛) (Å3
)
Optical band
gap (Eg) (eV)
Refractive
index (n)
Molar refraction (RM)
(cm3
)
Average coordination
number (m)
Bond density (nb)
(×1029
) (m−3
)
PbBaP1 10.91 2.88 2.73 27.50 4.90 0.717
PbBaP2 10.66 2.92 2.72 26.85 4.92 0.735
PbBaP3 10.41 2.96 2.71 26.23 4.94 0.783
PbBaP4 10.01 3.04 2.70 25.23 4.97 0.804
PbBaP5 9.81 3.07 2.69 24.72 5.00 0.823
Table 7
Elastic properties of prepared samples.
Sample code Packing density (Vt) Poisson ratio ( ) Modulus of elasticity
(E) (GPa)
Modulus of compressibility (K)
(GPa)
Modulus of elasticity in
shear (G) (GPa)
PbBaP1 0.602 0.269 49.30 35.47 20.72
PbBaP2 0.609 0.272 49.67 36.17 20.83
PbBaP3 0.616 0.275 50.02 36.86 20.93
PbBaP4 0.626 0.278 50.37 37.73 21.01
PbBaP5 0.631 0.280 50.51 38.13 21.04
other and support the inference that there is decrease in the num-
ber of non-bridging oxygens and hence, high rigidity at high content
of barium oxide.
5. Conclusions
From above discussion, it can be concluded that:
(1) The BaO doped PbO-P2O5 glass system may be treated as the
potential candidate for gamma ray shielding applications due
to better values of mass attenuation coefficient and half value
layer parameters as compared to ‘barite’ concrete. Transpar-
ent natures of prepared samples also support the usefulness of
samples for the aforesaid purpose.
(2) Results of several experimental techniques employed including
FTIR, Raman and UV–visible indicate the decrease in the num-
ber of non-bridging oxygens with the addition of the content of
BaO in the glass system. This inference is supported by several
calculated parameters such as Poisson’s ratio, packing density,
elastic moduli, average co-ordination number, bond density etc.
(3) In terms of HVL parameter, PbBaP5 is the best sample among
the prepared glass samples. It has the least average HVL value
which is 2.19 cm. On the other hand, barite concrete has the
average HVL value of 3.26 cm. This result indicate that lesser
value of thickness is required for producing the gamma ray
shielding material from PbBaP5 glass composition as compared
to barite concrete. Barium has the maximum content as ele-
ment in barite concrete and Pb has the maximum content as
element in our glass samples. Moreover, barium in barite con-
crete is used as barium sulphate (Akkurt et al., 2005) and in
our glass samples, lead is used as lead oxide. Price of the PbO
is cheaper than BaSO4 for same purity level. In the light of this
situation, it is imperative that production cost will be lesser for
developing the gamma ray shield from the glass composition
corresponding to PbBaP5 sample than barite concrete. Trans-
parency to visible light for the glass sample can be advantage
during its use.
Acknowledgements
The authors Kulwinder Kaur and Vikas Anand are grate-
ful to the financial assistance provided by the Department of
Science and Technology, New Delhi (India) through INSPIRE
program [IF-120620] and UGC, New Delhi (India) JRF (NET) [F.17-
74/2008(SA-I)], respectively.
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