Studies of Gamma Ray Shielding Properties of Lead-Free Tungsten-Borate-Tellurite Glasses (xWO₃-20B₂O₃-(80 − x)TeO₂); (x = 10, 15, 20 and 25)

The radiation shielding properties of different samples of borate-tellurite glass were investigated using WO₃ modifiers. Geometric optimization and modification of pristine borate-tellurite with WO₃ were carried out based on density functional theory calculations using plane wave basis sets and pseudo-potentials. It was observed that the changes in the physical properties of the white box testing glass (WBTG) systems were determined by WO₃ content. Analysis of the linear attenuation coefficient of the sampled glasses, which yielded a value of 7.43 cm for WBTG1 at 20 keV, indicated that WBTG1 was able to stop gamma radiation from Cs-137 and Th-237 sources. Both the µ and µ_m values were zero above 0.15 MeV, indicating that the WBTG composite was only able to attenuate low-energy photons such as gamma rays. It was found that the characteristic behavior of the WBTG was generally determined primarily by oxygen content, which is in good agreement with theoretical and experimental data.