Tm2O3 doped borosilicate glasses for optical and medical applications: optical characterization and γ-ray/neutron attenuation competence

Thulium (III) lithium barium borosilicate glasses written as (60-X)B2O3/10SiO(2)/20BaF(2)/10Li(2)O/XTm2O3: X ranging from 0.0 (Tm-0.0) to 2.0 (Tm-2.0) mol% were prepared by the melt-quenching technique. The physical, optical properties and neutron/gamma-ray absorption characteristics were examined. The density (rho) of glasses increased from 2.75 to 2.97 g/cm(3). The molar volume (V-m) slightly declined from 31.27 to 31.04 cm(3)/mol as Tm2O3 increased from 0.0 to 2.0 mol% in the glass networks. The absorption spectra included some peaks attributed to the characteristic transitions of Tm3+ ions from the ground state H-3(6) energy level to the D-1(2), (1)G(4), F-3(3), and H-3(4) excited states. The direct optical gap (E-g(direct)) declined from 3.387 to 3.251 eV, whereas the indirect (E-g(indirect)) declined from 3.251 to 3.118 eV. Urbach's energy (E-u) reduced from of 0.293 to 0.203 eV. The linear refractive index (n) of Tm-X glasses enhanced as Tm2O3 increased in the glass structure. Real (epsilon(r)), imaginary (epsilon(i)) dielectric constants, and loss factor (tan delta) were enhanced as Tm2O3 increased. Self (SELF) and volume (VELF) energy loss functions exhibited a consistent decrease with increasing the incident photon energy. The optical surface resistance (Rs) values exhibited a saturation trend and it was almost constant over spectral range from 600 to 1100 nm. Values of the buildup factors (BUF) depicted an increasing trend as the gamma-energy increased. The fast neutron removal cross-section (FNRCS) has values of 0.093-0.095 cm(-1). Results confirm that the investigated Tm-X glasses can be considered as talented materials for optical, gamma-ray/neutron protection.