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Published on: May 17, 2024
Synthesis and characterization of selenium-containing sodium phosphate glasses with enhanced physical and radiation
M A Madshal1, Abdullah F Al Naim2, Mohammed Al-Yaari3
1Physics Department, Faculty of Education, Humanity & Applied Science - Khawlan, Sana'a University, Sana'a, Yemen. mahdimadshal01010@gmail.com.
Abstract:
In this study, ternary selenium sodium phosphate glasses with the molar composition 50P2O5-(50 - x)Na2O-xSe, where x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 10, 20, and 30 mol%, were fabricated using the melt-quenching technique. The structural, morphological, optical, physical, and gamma-ray shielding properties of the prepared glasses were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, and theoretical shielding calculations. XRD analysis confirmed the amorphous nature of the synthesized glasses, while FTIR analysis revealed selenium-induced modifications in the phosphate network, indicating structural rearrangement with increasing Se content. UV-visible spectroscopy showed characteristic absorption bands centered at 470 and 650 nm, associated with Se-related electronic transitions. Increasing Se concentration reduced the indirect optical band gap from 3.380 to 2.890 eV and the direct band gap from 4.091 to 3.750 eV, accompanied by an increase in the refractive index from 2.302 to 2.427, reflecting enhanced electronic polarizability. The density increased from 2.350 to 2.600 g/cm³, whereas the molar volume decreased from 43.388 to 41.144 cm³/mol, suggesting a more compact glass network. Gamma-ray shielding parameters calculated using Phy-X/PSD over the 0.015-15 MeV range showed a clear improvement with Se addition. At 0.015 MeV, the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) increased from 5.686 to 27.578 cm²/g, while the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) increased from 13.362 to 71.702 cm⁻¹. In parallel, the half-value layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP) decreased with increasing Se content, confirming enhanced attenuation efficiency. Among the investigated compositions, the 30 mol% Se-containing glass exhibited the best shielding performance. These findings indicate that Se-rich sodium phosphate glasses are promising multifunctional materials for photonic applications and low-energy gamma-ray radiation shielding.
