Optical properties and multi-radiation shielding performance of cement dust incorporated bismuth-vanadium-borate glasses

Abstract : A series of glass composites of (55 – x) B 2 O 3 -15 Bi 2 O 3 -5 V 2 O 5 -25 Na 2 O -x (CBD) (where x = 0, 1, 5, 7.5, and 10 mol%) were synthesized by melt-quenching method. This study investigates the dual benefit of industrial waste valorization and multi-radiation shielding performance against gamma photons, neutrons, and charged particles (α, p + , β - ). To ensure theoretical precision, shielding parameters were modeled using MCNP5, WINXCOM, SRIM, and ESTAR across a wide energy range. Findings reveal that a 10 mol% Cement Bypass Dust (CBD) exhibits a glass density range of 2.65 to 2.83 g/cm3 and increases the effective atomic number (Zeff), thereby improving gamma-ray shielding by approximately 10%. Furthermore, while the substitution leads to a calculated 18% reduction in thermal neutron macroscopic cross-section (Σ T ), the fast-neutron removal cross-section (Σ R ) remains stable due to scattering from CBD constituents. Charged-particle analysis shows stable stopping power (MSP) and reduced projected ranges (PR, CSDA), with minimal secondary radiation yield (Y R ). Adding CBD increases the optical dielectric constant (ε opt. ) and improves nonlinear optical properties, including third-order susceptibilities (χ (3) ) and refractive index (n 2 ). These results highlight CBD-modified glasses as a sustainable, eco-friendly, high-performance alternative protection for advanced optoelectronic and shielding applications.