Insights into radiation, mechanical, and optical features of transparent borotellurite glasses: The role of adding ZnO

This study aims to study radiation shielding, optical and mechanical properties of four borotellurite glasses modified with bismuth, calcium, and zinc oxide. The mechanical properties were assessed using the Makshima-Mackenzie principle, while the optical properties were evaluated using the absorption spectra from UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Phy-X program was employed to assess the radiation shielding efficacy. The density of glasses showed gradual enhancement from 4.009 to 4.206 ± 0.005 g/cm³ with increasing ZnO from 20 to 35 mol%. This increment led to enhanced radiation shielding efficacy. On the other hand, the mechanical features reduced with the addition of ZnO. For example, the bulk modulus is reduced from 45.504 to 40.036 GPa. In addition, the band gap showed reduction from 3.262 to 3.200 ± 0.02 eV, indicating the formation of nonbridging oxygen (NBO). It can be deduced that the addition of ZnO gradually lowered the mechanical and structural features while it enhanced the radiation shielding features.