Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Structural and Optical Investigations of Borosilicate Glass Doped Yttrium Oxide

The structural, physical, and optical properties of prepared glass samples of the composition formula 30SiO(2)-(40-x)B2O3-20Na(2)O-10Al(2)O(3)-xY(2)O(3), where x = 0, 1, 5, 7 (wt%) were studied before and after gamma irradiation using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV-visible spectroscopy. The optical absorption spectra of study glasses were recorded in the UV/visible range of 200-900 nm. The optical band gap energies were calculated from absorption data. These results show that E-opt decreases with increasing concentration of Y2O3. The changes occurring in the optical parameters obtained from absorption spectra before and after irradiation have been referred to irradiation induced structural defects and compositional changes.