The impact of gamma-ray doses on structural, optical, and mechanical features of tellurite glass modified with different oxides for use in radiation shielding field

This work investigates the effect of gamma-ray doses on the glass structure and optical properties of BaO–TeO₂ modified with different oxides, such as Bi₂O₃, TiO₂, MnO₂, and MoO₃, for possible use in the radiation shielding field. Five glass samples were fabricated and given codes: BaTe, BaTeBi, BaTeTi, BaTeMn, and BaTeMo. The structural and optical properties were investigated pre- and post-irradiation by a 100 kGy gamma-ray dose. The intensity of Raman spectra for the BaTe sample was impacted by the gamma-ray dose, which diminished with exposure to gamma rays while adding different modifiers enhanced the glass stability against gamma-ray dose. In contrast, the gamma-ray dose raised the band gap (_Eg) for all glasses except the BaTe and BaTeBi samples. The mechanical properties of glasses showed variation with the addition of various oxides, indicating a different role for each one. Here, the BaTeMo and BaTeTi showed the highest mechanical properties. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) at 0.184 MeV for BaTe, BaTeBi, BaTeTi, BaTeMn, and BaTeMo was 1.967, 3.393, 1.831, 1.851, and 2.044 cm⁻¹, respectively. The BaTeBi sample recorded the highest shielding performance compared to other glasses. It can be concluded that the BaTeBi sample is a suitable material for the shielding field due to its superiority in radiation shielding properties and no variation with exposure to gamma rays based on optical properties and Raman spectroscopy.