https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06919-4
Regular Article
Unveiling the structural, optical, photoluminescence and radiation shielding properties on the Sm2O3 doped Na2O–ZnO–B2O3 glasses
1
Department of Physics, Government Engineering College, 571234, Kushalanagar, India
2
Department of Physics, RV Institute of Technology and Management, 560076, Bangalore, India
3
Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, 11671, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
4
Department of Physics, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, 560064, Bangalore, India
5
Health Physics Unit, Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, IGCAR, 603102, Kalpakkam, India
6
Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, 38541, Gyeongsan, Korea
7
Department of Physics, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Kumaraswamy Layout, 560078, Bangalore, India
a
srinatha007@gmail.com
b
nagarajb2005@yahoo.co.in
c
mmathi.33@gmail.com
Received:
12
April
2025
Accepted:
30
September
2025
Published online:
15
October
2025
Radiation shielding glasses are absolutely essential for protecting individuals from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation in various industries and medical settings. Their usage is not only necessary to ensure occupational safety but also to significantly reduce the risk of long-term health complications that can arise due to radiation exposure to the eyes. Motivated by this, the present study reports the effect of γ-irradiation (up to 90 kGy) on the spectroscopic and radiation shielding properties of Na2O–ZnO–B2O3 glasses doped with Sm2O3. Systematic studies were carried out using XRD, Raman, UV–Vis-NIR, Photoluminescence, and Decay kinetics to evaluate the gamma irradiation-induced effects in the glass system. The density decreases from 2.722 g/cm3 to 2.475 g/cm3 as the γ dose increased from 0 to 60 kGy, linked to the formation of NBOs. Beyond 60 kGy, density stabilised, and the glasses retained their amorphous structure despite increased defect density, as shown by changes in the Raman spectra. The band gap, estimated to be 2.781 eV for unirradiated samples, decreases to 1.750 eV at 90 kGy. PL analysis reveals an intensity of Sm3⁺ emission peaks displayed quenching at doses up to 60 kGy, while maintaining an impressive colour purity of 99.1% at 90 kGy. Additionally, the CIE analysis demonstrates the luminescence emission in the orange-red region, and its purity was unaffected by the γ dose. Furthermore, the shielding behaviour of the samples was supported by the shielding parameters, LAC, MAC, HVL, and MFP determined using Phys-X software and the correlations among the estimated values and experimental results are established. The MAC and LAC values decrease sharply at 0.1 MeV before stabilising. The HVL was 0.099 cm at 0.1 MeV and increased to 12–13 cm at higher energies, while the Zeff reached around 20 at lower energies. The glass achieved a remarkable radiation shielding efficiency (RSE) of 99% at 0.662 MeV, underscoring its advantages over lead or heavy metal oxide-free glasses. Overall, these findings highlight the glass's strong shielding effectiveness and provide a solid foundation for understanding its radiation absorption and attenuation mechanisms.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
