Influence of Bi2O3 and Y2O3 co-doping on the structural and nuclear shielding properties of multi-elemental based glass-ceramics

This study explores the effects of co-doping Bi2O3 and Y2O3 (Bi-Y) on B2O3 -ZrO2 -Na2O –K2O -SiO2 -Al2O3 -ZnO -CaO glass-ceramics, produced via melting and powder metallurgy, for potential photon and neutron shielding applications. The Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) results showed that the undoped system had density of 2.68 g/cm3 and good homogeneity, while at 20 wt% Bi-Y, porosities and partial inhomogeneity appeared, with density increasing to 3.12 g/cm3. The Vickers hardness values increased from 6.27 Gpa to 12.42 GPa under a 0.5 kg load, and fracture toughness values (measured via the Palmqvist model) improved by 33 % with 20 wt% Bi-Y co-doping. The radiation shielding properties shows enhancement in mass and linear attenuation coefficient from 10.5226 to 20.7356 cm2/g and from 28.2006 to 64.6951 cm−1, while the Mean Free Path (MFP) decrease from 0.0355 to 0.0155 cm for the undoped and co-doped with 20 wt% Bi-Y, at 0.015 MeV, indicating a clear compositional dependence. The effective neutron removal cross-sections of 20 wt% Bi-Y doped sample were 0.0939 cm−1 greater than those of some common neutron shielding materials, indicating the potential for dual application in both photon and neutron shielding. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.