Design and characterization of borosilicate glass modified with TiO2 for enhanced optical and radiation shielding applications

Abstract

This work investigates the potential of borosilicate glass doped with titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) for radiation shielding applications. The study explored the impact of varying TiO 2 concentrations on the glass structure, optical properties, and radiation shielding effectiveness. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the amorphous nature of the glasses. The addition of TiO 2 affected the glass network structure, as evidenced by changes in the Raman spectra and density measurements. UV–Vis spectroscopy revealed a red shift in the absorption edge (416–481 nm) and a decrease in the indirect optical band gap (2.91–2.70 eV) with increasing TiO 2 content. The refractive index also increased from 2.54 to 3.54 with TiO 2 concentration. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) and linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) increased significantly with TiO 2 addition, indicating enhanced radiation attenuation capability. The inclusion of TiO 2 reduced the half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP), while increasing the effective atomic number (Z eff ). The effective electron density (N eff ) and effective conductivity (C eff ) showed a slight increase with TiO 2 content. Energy build-up factors (EBF and EABF) indicated a higher rate of radiation intensity increase and energy absorption within the glass due to the presence of TiO 2 . Finally, the incorporation of TiO 2 into borosilicate glass offered a promising approach to developing improved optical and radiation shielding glasses. • TiO 2 -doped borosilicate glass was developed for radiation shielding applications. • TiO 2 significantly improved the density and refractive index. • TiO 2 redshifted the UV–Vis absorption spectra and decreased in the band gap. • TiO 2 decreased the half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL). • TiO 2 improved both photoelectric absorption and Compton scattering interactions.