Radiation shielding performance of Al2O3-Based glass systems: A systematic review of influence modifier oxides concentration on attenuation properties.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Radiation shielding performance of Al2O3-Based glass systems: A systematic review of influence modifier oxides concentration on attenuation properties.
Authors: Qayyom, Abdul1 (AUTHOR), Azlan, Muhammad1 (AUTHOR), Abdullah, Bualkar1 (AUTHOR), Gareso, Paulus Lobo1 (AUTHOR), Tahir, Dahlang1 (AUTHOR) dtahir@fmipa.unhas.ac.id
Source: Radiation Physics & Chemistry. Sep2026, Vol. 246, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Radiation shielding, Metallic oxides, Attenuation of light, Glass, Attenuation coefficients, Mass attenuation coefficients
Abstract: The growing use of ionizing radiation in medical imaging, nuclear facilities, and industrial applications has intensified the demand for efficient, environmentally safe, and lead-free radiation shielding materials. Glass systems have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional lead shielding because of their optical transparency, chemical durability, and compositional flexibility. In particular, aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3) plays an important structural role in reinforcing glass networks and improving compatibility with high atomic number (high Z) modifier oxides that enhance photon attenuation. This study presents a systematic review of the photon shielding performance of Al 2 O 3 based glass systems modified with heavy metal oxides. A systematic literature search was conducted using ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, and 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2025 were selected following screening and eligibility criteria. Experimental data and calculations from the XCOM photon cross section database were compiled to evaluate key attenuation parameters, including mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), and half value layer (HVL), across representative photon energies. The collected data indicate that glasses containing high Z modifier oxides such as WO 3 , Bi 2 O 3 , and PbO exhibit significantly improved attenuation behavior compared with lower Z modifiers. At a photon energy of 0.5 MeV, MAC values reported in the literature typically range from approximately 0.054 to 0.137 cm2 g−1 , while corresponding HVL values decrease from about 3.33 cm to nearly 1.0 cm in high density glass compositions. Increasing modifier concentration generally enhances density, effective atomic number, and electron density, leading to higher photon interaction probability and improved shielding efficiency. In these systems, Al 2 O 3 primarily contributes to structural stability and mechanical integrity, enabling the incorporation of higher concentrations of heavy metal modifiers without compromising glass network stability. Overall, the review highlights the strong influence of modifier oxide type and concentration on the attenuation performance of Al 2 O 3 based glass systems. The findings indicate that optimizing the balance between network forming oxides and high Z modifiers is essential for developing high performance, lead free, and structurally stable glass materials suitable for radiation protection in medical, industrial, and nuclear environments. Unlike previous studies focusing on individual glass systems, this review systematically compares multiple Al 2 O 3 based compositions across a moderate to high modifier concentration range (10–50 mol%) , providing clearer insights into composition attenuation relationships. By integrating experimentally reported attenuation data with XCOM based computational analysis, this review clarifies composition structure attenuation relationships and identifies practical design strategies for optimizing lead free radiation shielding glass materials. • Al 2 O 3 -based glasses offer transparent, durable, lead-free alternatives for photon shielding applications. • Heavy-metal oxide modifiers (10–50%) significantly enhance photon attenuation in Al 2 O 3 glass systems. • Increasing WO 3 , Bi 2 O 3 , PbO, ZnO, MoO 3 boosts MAC, LAC and lowers HVL across broad photon-energy ranges. • WO 3 and Bi 2 O 3 give the highest attenuation, while Al 2 O 3 improves mechanical integrity and network stability. • Study exposes a research gap in high-modifier Al 2 O 3 glasses and guides next-generation shielding glass design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Radiation Physics & Chemistry is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 193620929
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Radiation shielding performance of Al2O3-Based glass systems: A systematic review of influence modifier oxides concentration on attenuation properties.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Qayyom%2C+Abdul%22">Qayyom, Abdul</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Azlan%2C+Muhammad%22">Azlan, Muhammad</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Abdullah%2C+Bualkar%22">Abdullah, Bualkar</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gareso%2C+Paulus+Lobo%22">Gareso, Paulus Lobo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tahir%2C+Dahlang%22">Tahir, Dahlang</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> dtahir@fmipa.unhas.ac.id</i>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Radiation+Physics+%26+Chemistry%22">Radiation Physics & Chemistry</searchLink>. Sep2026, Vol. 246, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Radiation+shielding%22">Radiation shielding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Metallic+oxides%22">Metallic oxides</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attenuation+of+light%22">Attenuation of light</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Glass%22">Glass</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attenuation+coefficients%22">Attenuation coefficients</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mass+attenuation+coefficients%22">Mass attenuation coefficients</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The growing use of ionizing radiation in medical imaging, nuclear facilities, and industrial applications has intensified the demand for efficient, environmentally safe, and lead-free radiation shielding materials. Glass systems have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional lead shielding because of their optical transparency, chemical durability, and compositional flexibility. In particular, aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3) plays an important structural role in reinforcing glass networks and improving compatibility with high atomic number (high Z) modifier oxides that enhance photon attenuation. This study presents a systematic review of the photon shielding performance of Al 2 O 3 based glass systems modified with heavy metal oxides. A systematic literature search was conducted using ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, and 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2025 were selected following screening and eligibility criteria. Experimental data and calculations from the XCOM photon cross section database were compiled to evaluate key attenuation parameters, including mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), and half value layer (HVL), across representative photon energies. The collected data indicate that glasses containing high Z modifier oxides such as WO 3 , Bi 2 O 3 , and PbO exhibit significantly improved attenuation behavior compared with lower Z modifiers. At a photon energy of 0.5 MeV, MAC values reported in the literature typically range from approximately 0.054 to 0.137 cm2 g−1 , while corresponding HVL values decrease from about 3.33 cm to nearly 1.0 cm in high density glass compositions. Increasing modifier concentration generally enhances density, effective atomic number, and electron density, leading to higher photon interaction probability and improved shielding efficiency. In these systems, Al 2 O 3 primarily contributes to structural stability and mechanical integrity, enabling the incorporation of higher concentrations of heavy metal modifiers without compromising glass network stability. Overall, the review highlights the strong influence of modifier oxide type and concentration on the attenuation performance of Al 2 O 3 based glass systems. The findings indicate that optimizing the balance between network forming oxides and high Z modifiers is essential for developing high performance, lead free, and structurally stable glass materials suitable for radiation protection in medical, industrial, and nuclear environments. Unlike previous studies focusing on individual glass systems, this review systematically compares multiple Al 2 O 3 based compositions across a moderate to high modifier concentration range (10–50 mol%) , providing clearer insights into composition attenuation relationships. By integrating experimentally reported attenuation data with XCOM based computational analysis, this review clarifies composition structure attenuation relationships and identifies practical design strategies for optimizing lead free radiation shielding glass materials. • Al 2 O 3 -based glasses offer transparent, durable, lead-free alternatives for photon shielding applications. • Heavy-metal oxide modifiers (10–50%) significantly enhance photon attenuation in Al 2 O 3 glass systems. • Increasing WO 3 , Bi 2 O 3 , PbO, ZnO, MoO 3 boosts MAC, LAC and lowers HVL across broad photon-energy ranges. • WO 3 and Bi 2 O 3 give the highest attenuation, while Al 2 O 3 improves mechanical integrity and network stability. • Study exposes a research gap in high-modifier Al 2 O 3 glasses and guides next-generation shielding glass design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Radiation Physics & Chemistry is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=193620929
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2026.113914
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 1
        StartPage: N.PAG
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Radiation shielding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Metallic oxides
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attenuation of light
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Glass
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attenuation coefficients
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mass attenuation coefficients
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Radiation shielding performance of Al2O3-Based glass systems: A systematic review of influence modifier oxides concentration on attenuation properties.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Qayyom, Abdul
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Azlan, Muhammad
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Abdullah, Bualkar
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gareso, Paulus Lobo
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Tahir, Dahlang
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Text: Sep2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0969806X
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 246
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Radiation Physics & Chemistry
              Type: main
ResultId 1