Experimental Insights Into the Optical and Radiation Shielding Behavior of BaO-PbO₂-B₂O₃-Pr₆O₁₁ Glasses

This work reports the physical, optical, and gamma-ray shielding behavior of the BaO-PbO₂-B₂O₃-Pr₆O₁₁ glasses. The present study evaluates the viability of present glasses as transparent shielding materials. The glasses are prepared using the melt-quenching technique. The amorphous nature is verified using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The optical characteristics are evaluated using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, while the radiation shielding competence is experimentally quantified using a narrow beam NaI (Tl) detector setup at 356, 511, 662, 1173, and 1330 keV. The incorporation of BaO, PbO₂, and Pr₆O₁₁ increased the density of the glasses from 4.252 g cm^-3 to a peak of 4.898 g cm^-3. The UV-Vis spectra exhibited four distinctive absorption peaks at ~446, 472, 484, and 582 nm, confirming the active presence of Pr³⁺ ions. The addition of BaO, PbO₂, and Pr₆O₁₁ facilitated the formation of non-bridging oxygens, which resulted in a decrease in the optical band gap (E_g) from 2.467 eV down to 2.138 eV. The experimental radiation shielding data confirmed that the highest concentration of BaO, PbO₂, and Pr₆O₁₁ improved the attenuation coefficients across the tested energy spectrum. The 3Pr₆O₁₁ glass represents a highly promising and practical alternative for transparent radiation shielding windows in diagnostic radiology and nuclear facilities.