Optical and FTIR studies of CuO-doped lead borate glasses and effect of gamma irradiation

CuO doped lead borate glasses of the composition PbO 70%–B₂O₃ 30% with varying CuO contents were prepared. UV–visible and infrared spectroscopic studies were measured before and after successive gamma irradiation with two different doses namely 2 and 8 Mrad. The experimental results indicate that the undoped sample reveals strong UV–near visible absorption while copper doped samples show additional broad visible band due to (Cu^2 +) ions.FT infrared absorption spectrum reveals vibrational bands due to triangular and tetrahedral borate groups together with the sharing of Pb–O vibrations.CuO-doped glasses have been found to show a shielding behavior towards the effects of progressive gamma irradiation causing the maintenance of the spectral curves. The changes in the UV–visible and infrared spectral data are discussed in relation to the states of copper ions and structural evolution caused by the change in glass composition including the CuO.