The optimization of the mechanical, optical, structural, and shielding features of the heavy borosilicate glass...

This work optimized the mechanical, structural, optical and radiation shielding features of a heavy borosilicate glass system by doping with varying concentrations of Nd₂O₃. The glass network was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, which confirmed the integration of B₂O₃ and SiO₂ functional groups. The addition of Nd₂O₃ significantly improved the mechanical properties as assessed by the Makishima-Mackenzie model; the packing density and Young's modulus rose from 0.560 to 0.615 and 69.611-77.346 GPa, respectively. Additionally, radiation shielding capabilities were enhanced across the energy range of 0.03082-0.3839 MeV, as simulated by the Phy-X software. The linear attenuation coefficient at 0.3839 MeV increased from 0.968 to 1.025 cm^-1, and the fast neutron removal cross section improved from 0.103 to 0.113 cm^-1. These findings unequivocally show that using Nd₂O₃ instead of Bi₂O₃ is a very successful method for creating better multipurpose radiation shielding glasses.