Fabrication of Cd-modified Zn-Pb-W-borate glass for enhanced optical, thermal, and radiation attenuation

Fabrication of glass composition (60-x)B₂O₃+10WO₃+15ZnO+15Pb₃O₄+xCdCO₃, where x varied from 10, 20–30 mol%, have been synthesized via melt-quenching techniques. The effect of CdO was investigated on the optical, thermal, and radiation shielding properties using the Phy-X/PSD. The refractive index varied from 2.04 to 2.13 and the molar refractivity increased from 15.00 cm³/mol to 15.28 cm³/mol. The Fermi energy level decreased from 3.31 eV to 3.19 eV suggesting a p-type semiconductor behavior, with holes serving as the primary charge carriers. The Glass transition temperature (T_g), crystallization temperature (T_c), and melting temperature (T_m) improved with higher CdO levels. The photon shielding properties of the synthesized glasses were improved, as evidenced by an increase in the linear attenuation coefficient from 34.17 cm⁻¹–43.42 cm⁻¹, while the half-value thickness reduced from 0.020 cm to 0.016 cm at 0.05 MeV, upon incorporating 10 and 30 mol% of CdO. The radiation protection efficiency of all the studied glasses were approximately 100 % at energy between 0.05 and 0.1 MeV. The fast neutron removal cross-section has a maximum value of 0.130 cm⁻¹ for sample containing 20 mol% CdO outperforming some standard neutron shielding materials. The combined optical, photon, and neutron shielding properties of these glasses highlight their potential as promising candidates for applications in optoelectronics and radiation shielding.