Impact of controlled oxidation and incorporation of high entropy rare-earth alloys (HE-REAs) on the structural, physical, optical, and radiation shielding performance of zinc-borate glasses

This study investigates the influence of high entropy oxide (HEO) and high entropy alloy oxide (HEAO) dopants on the structural, optical, and radiation shielding properties of zinc-borate glasses. Two synthesis routes were employed through direct mechanical alloying of five rare-earth oxides such as Sm2O3, Ho2O3, Er2O3, Yb2O3, Gd2O3 to form (SmHoErYbGd)2O3 HEO, and mechanical alloying of the corresponding rare-earth metals followed by oxidation to produce HEAO of the same elemental composition. The central hypothesis proposed that the dopant structure and oxygen coordination, not just elemental presence, critically influence the on characteristic behaviors in terms of radiation attenuation. Structural analyses confirmed that HEAO-doped glasses exhibit more homogeneous, amorphous networks. Optical characterizations revealed red-shifted absorption edges and lower Urbach energies in HEAO samples, indicating reduced disorder. HEAO-doped glasses showed superior gamma-ray shielding, with higher linear attenuation coefficients and lower half-value layers than HEO or undoped samples. Most notably, HEAO glass achieved the highest fast neutron removal cross-section, surpassing water, graphite, and B4C. These findings demonstrate that rare-earth high entropy alloy oxides offer a structurally optimized pathway for designing next-generation multifunctional glasses for radiation-related applications.