Ultrasonic waves, mechanical properties and radiation shielding competence of Er3+ doped lead borate glasses: experimental and theoretical investigations

Abstract

Kinetic, mechanical properties of xPbO-(10-x)Er 2 O 3 -90Bi 2 O 3 : x = 3 (BEP-3), 5 (BEP-5), 7 (BEP-7), 9 (BEP-9), and 10 (BEP-10) mol% glass system were investigated experimentally utilizing the pulse-echo technique and theoretically via bond compression and Makishima and Mackenzie models. Radiation shielding capacity of the investigated BEP-glasses was also evaluated via Phy-X/PSD code. The longitudinal and shear ultrasonic wave velocities were increased with the increase in PbO content in BEPglasses. Values of the elastic moduli, longitudinal modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus, and microhardness, for BEP-glasses were enhanced when the PbO content increased from 3 to 10 mol % content. There was good agreement between the obtained values of experimental and theoretical values of elastic moduli. The maximum mass attenuation coefficient