Studies of the Mechanical and Neutron Shielding Efficiency of Dy³⁺-Doped MgO–SrO–B₂O₃ Glass Systems

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of dysprosium oxide doping on the mechanical and fast neutron removal cross-section of borate glass systems with the composition. The elastic behavior of the glass was assessed using the Makishima–Mackenzie theoretical model. Calculations of dissociation energy and packing density revealed that both properties increased as the Dy₂O₃ concentration rose from 0.2 to 1 mol%. Specifically, dissociation energy increased from 43.329 to 43.465 kJ/cm³, and packing density grew from 0.398 to 0.478 cm³/mol. This consistent upward trend indicates that adding Dy₂O₃ enhances the structural density and bond strength within the glass network, leading to improved rigidity and compactness of the glass structure. Also, all elastic mechanical moduli (such as Young’s, Bulk, Shear, and Longitudinal) increase with increasing the quantity of Dy3+ ions in the glass lattice. For the fast neutron shielding, materials with lower density and lighter atomic mass are generally more efficient. As a result, the S1 glass sample, with a lower density of 2.42 g/cm³, exhibited superior fast neutron attenuation compared to the denser S4 sample, which had a density of 2.52 g/cm³. Among all tested samples, S1 recorded the highest effective removal cross-section (ΣR) at 0.115 cm⁻¹, whereas S4 showed the lowest value at 0.104 cm⁻¹. The increase in B₂O₃ content contributed to the improvement in ΣR. Therefore, glass system will be served as promising candidate for radiation protection related applications.