Enhancement of optical and radiation shielding properties in calcium-magnesium silicate bioactive glasses through Na2O and P2O5 additives

The present study investigates the influence of Na2O/MgO and P2O5/SiO2 substitutions on the structure and protective properties of bioactive glasses composed of 32CaO-19MgO-0.5P(2)O5-0.5CaF(2)-48SiO(2) (mole 96). The glass samples are prepared using the conventional melt-quenching method. Optical analyses, including refractive index (n), molar refraction (R-m), and cationic polarizability (alpha(m)), are calculated and discussed to examine structural modifications. Raman spectroscopy is employed for detailed structural analysis. The effects of compositional changes on the protective parameters are thoroughly investigated by theoretically determining mass attenuation using the newly developed Phy-X/PSD software and XCOM programs, which are then exper- imentally confirmed at three selected radioactive isotope energies. Experimental measurements of mass atten- uation coefficient follow the sequence: MAC(G1) > MAC(G2) > MAC(G3) > MAC(G4). Raman spectroscopy results indicate that the glass network primarily consists of silicate and phosphate species as the main structural units. An increase in the molar ratio of Na2O and P2O5 improves the radiation shielding effectiveness of the samples. Among them, sample G5, with the lowest SiO2 and MgO content, exhibits the best shielding characteristics due to its high density and molar fraction of Na2O and P2O5. A correlation between microhardness and protective effectiveness is also established. The obtained results support the potential use of these glasses as dual agents for both radiation shielding and medical devices simultaneously.