Structural, thermal, and radiation shielding properties of antimony-doped zinc borate glasses

Antimony zinc borate glasses with compositions (45-m)ZnO-(55-n)B₂O₃-(m + n)Sb₂O₃ (0 ≤ m, n ≤ 15 mol%) were synthesized via the melt-quenching technique to investigate the impact of Sb₂O₃ substitution on structural, thermal, and radiation shielding properties. X-ray diffraction confirmed the amorphous nature of the synthesized glass samples. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed significant structural rearrangements, including an increase in non-bridging oxygen content with rising Sb₂O₃ concentrations, as evidenced by the shifting and intensification of characteristic absorption bands. Differential thermal analysis demonstrated that the glass transition temperature decreased from 580 °C to 490 °C with increasing Sb₂O₃, while the thermal stability parameter (ΔT) improved from 144 °C to 256 °C, particularly when B₂O₃ was replaced. Density increased from 3.121 g/cm³ to 3.836 g/cm³, and molar volume expanded from 24.01 cm³/mol to 31.16 cm³/mol. Radiation shielding performance was significantly enhanced: at 10 MeV, the linear attenuation coefficient increased from 0.0768 cm^-1 to 0.1142 cm^-1 (~ 49%) when replacing B₂O₃ and to 0.0983 cm^-1 (~ 28%) when replacing ZnO. The half-value layer decreased from 9.02 cm to 6.07 cm at 15 mol% Sb₂O₃, confirming improved photon attenuation. Overall, this work offers valuable insights into the interplay between composition, structure, and functional properties in Sb₂O₃-doped zinc borate glasses.