The influence of ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3) substitution in cadmium bismuth borate glasses: An approach to improve structural, optical, and radiation shielding efficiency

This study investigates the physical, thermal, optical properties and radiation shielding efficacy of glass systems formulated as (55-x)B2O3+7CdO+25Bi(2)O(3)+13Na(2)O + xYb(2)O(3), where (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 mol%) synthesized via the traditional melt-quenching technique. X-ray diffraction indicated a non-crystalline nature, while infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that the addition of Yb2O3 to cadmium bismuth borate glasses caused structural modifications. The density of the glasses increases with the increase in Yb2O3 content, ranging from 4.1389 g/cm(3) at Yb0 to 4.3485 g/cm(3) at Yb2 while the molar volume exhibits a decreasing trend, from 41.515 cm(3)/mol to 41.006 cm(3)/mol. Moreover, the ion concentration and field strength augment, but the polaron radius and inter-ionic distance diminishes from 9.66 & Aring; at Yb0.5 to 6.06 & Aring; at Yb2 and from 23.971 & Aring; at Yb0.5 to 15.039 & Aring; at Yb2 respectively. Furthermore, the thermal stability enhanced as the Yb2O3 increased in cadmium bismuth borate glasses where the sample with 2.0 mol% of Yb2O3 presented a greater, (Delta T congruent to 97 C-degrees) and higher (S = 7.93). UV-Vis spectroscopy demonstrated that the addition of Yb3+ ions affected optical transitions, resulting in an elevated cut-off wavelength shifting to 308 nm (higher wavelength) with increasing Yb2O3 content and a decrease in energy band gaps for direct and indirect transitions from 4.56 to 4.31 eV and from 4.02 to 3.83 eV, respectively, The radiation shielding characteristics, analyzed using Phy-X/PSD software, indicated that the glass containing 3 mol% of Yb2O3 (Yb3) exhibited the highest mass and linear attenuation coefficients (MAC and LAC), the lowest half-value layer (HVL) and tenth value layer (TVL), over a wide energy range (0.015-15 MeV). The findings indicate that the incorporation of Yb2O3 significantly enhances the physical, thermal, optical properties and radiation attenuation efficacy of the glass, rendering it an exceptionally effective choice for advanced radiation protection applications.