Transparent barium-containing nickel phosphate borosilicate glasses were fabricated for optical and gamma
shielding applications using the melt-quenching method at 1100
◦
C for 1 h. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis
confirmed the amorphous nature of the prepared glass composites. The physical, optical, and gamma shielding
properties were systematically investigated. With an increase in BaO content, the mass density, refractive index,
and refraction loss increased proportionally, while the molar volume, optical band gap (E
g
(E
u
), and Urbach energy
) decreased. Gamma attenuation properties, including the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half-value
layer (HVL), tenth-value layer (TVL), effective atomic number (Z
eff
), and exposure build-up factor (EBF), were
examined across an energy range of 0.015–15 MeV. The results revealed that the mass attenuation coefficient
increased with the BaO mol%. Our findings suggest that increasing BaO content in nickel phosphate borosilicate
glasses enhances structural compactness and reduces disorder, while also altering the electronic structure to
narrow the band gap. This combination of optical and structural changes makes these glasses suitable for ap
plications requiring tailored optical and mechanical properties. Furthermore, the prepared transparent glass
composites show significant potential for shielding applications where transparency is a critical requirement.
