Crystallization and spectroscopic properties in Er3+ doped oxyfluorogermanate glass ceramics containing Na

The Er³⁺ doped oxyfluorogermanate glasses, with a composition containing Na element, were synthesized by the conventional melting–quenching technique. When Na element was introduced into the composition of oxyfluorogermanate glass, the crystals behavior was investigated in details. Depending on the annealing procedure supplied, thermal annealing of precursor glasses in the system GeO₂/BaF₂/AlF₃/Na₂O/NaF/ZnO/GdF₃/ErF₃ led to the precipitation of different crystal phase nanocrystals. It was confirmed the nanocrystals in GC600 is orthorhombic NaBaAlF₆ which led to enhance obviously in the UC luminescence of Er³⁺. However, the nanocrystals in G585 led to decrease in the UC luminescence, which indicated few Er ions enter into the lattice of this nanocrystal phase. The reason of the decrease in UC emission intensity of GC585 was analyzed.     

Optimized structural and mechanical properties of borophosphate glass

A series of phosphate glasses composed of (65-x)P₂O₅–15BaO–5Al₂O₃–5ZnO–10Na₂O-xB₂O₃ (x = 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 mol%) were successfully prepared using the melt-quenching method. The effects of the addition of boron trioxide (B₂O₃) on the physical, structural, and mechanical properties of the glasses were investigated. As the added content of B₂O₃ increased from 0 to 6 mol%, the glass exhibited increased density and transition temperature, and decreased molar volume, indicating optimization of the glass stability. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the introduction of B₂O₃ transformed the glass from a chain structure to a three-dimensional network structure, which enhanced the chemical stability of the glass by the cross-linking of long phosphate chains with boron ions. Regarding the mechanical properties, when the boron content was 6 mol%, the flexural strength of the glass was 41% higher than that of the undoped boron, while the Vickers hardness and Knoop hardness values increased by 20.58% and 7.05%, respectively, and the fracture toughness was slightly decreased. In general, improving the mechanical properties of phosphate glass is of great significance for increasing the applications of this glass.     

烧结时间对含铅玻璃制备微晶玻璃析晶及性能的影响

以铅玻璃与粉煤灰为原料，通过协同熔炼制备了微晶玻璃。通过XRD和SEM等手段研究了不同烧结时间下微晶玻璃的物相组成及显微结构，测定了微晶玻璃的密度、吸水率、维氏硬度和化学抗性。结果表明: 延长烧结时间对含铅玻璃加入量为40%(FG40)、50%(FG50)样品的晶相类型和晶化程度有影响，而对含铅玻璃加入量为60%(FG60)、70%(FG70)和80%(FG80)样品的影响较小。随着烧结时间延长，样品晶化程度提高，晶体长大，玻璃相减少。适宜的含铅玻璃加入量为50%~70%，对应的FG50、FG60、FG70样品最佳烧结时间分别为4 h、3 h、3 h。     

Characterization,in vitro bioactivity and biological studies of sol-gel-derived TiO2 substituted 58S bioactive glass

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have been used for bone formation and bone repair processes in recent years. This study investigated the titanium substitution effect on 58S BGs (Ti-BGs) 60SiO₂-(36 − X)CaO-4P₂O₅-XTiO₂ (X = 0, 3, and 5 mol.%) prepared by the sol-gel technique, and the main goal was to find the optimum amount of titanium in Ti-BGs. Synthesized BGs, which were investigated after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), were tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity, 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and antibacterial studies were employed to investigate the biological properties of Ti-BGs. According to the FTIR and XRD test results, hydroxyapatite (HA) formation on Ti-BGs surfaces was confirmed. Meanwhile, the presence of 5 mol.% compared to 3 mol.% increased the HA grain distribution and their size on the Ti-BGs surface. Additionally, MTT and ALP results confirmed that the optimal amount of titanium substitution in BG was 5 mol.%. Since 5 mol.% Ti incorporated BG (BG-5) had the highest biocompatibility level, antibacterial properties, maximum cell proliferation, and ALP activity among the synthesized Ti-BGs, it is presented as the best candidate for further in vivo investigations.     

Ceramics composites from iron ore tailings and blast furnace slag

The search for materials and methods capable of reducing human impacts on the environment is of utmost importance nowadays. This study's primary purpose was to analyze the technical feasibility of ceramic composites production utilizing Fundão Dam's Iron Ore Tailings (IOT), Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) from charcoal, and Foundry Sand (FS) as partial substitutes for the traditional raw materials – sand and clay – for application in building industry materials. The composites were molded in rectangular specimens and fired at temperatures of 900, 950, 1000, 1050, and 1200 °C. The developed materials were analyzed and characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Thermogravimetry (TGA), and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). The obtained materials had flexural strength modulus of up to 12.19 MPa, water absorption ranging from 2 to 22%, linear shrinkage ranging from 0.02 to 6.50%, and apparent density ranging from 2.03 to 1.63 g/cm³. The study of the internal structure formation process revealed the formation of amorphous structures in the composites. The results demonstrated that these waste materials may be jointly used in construction materials, contributing to the reduction of natural resource extraction, besides enabling their correct disposal, minimizing environmental impacts, and improving the life quality of the surrounding communities.     

Study on the blackening phenomenon of leaded glass during microgroove molding using nickel phosphorous mold

Precision glass molding (PGM) is a recently developed method to fabricate glass microgroove components. Lead glass is commonly used as an optical material due to its high refractive index and low transition temperature. A nickel-phosphorous (Ni–P) plated mold is traditionally employed in the PGM process for microstructures optics. However, leaded glass is subject to color change and can blacken during the PGM process, reducing the light transmittance of microgrooves. In this paper, an equation for the redox reaction between Ni and Pb is proposed, which is based on the diffusion of inner Ni atoms to the surface of the mold and the standard electrode potential of the Pb ions in leaded glass. A viscoelastic constitutive model of the glass is established to simulate the compression stress distribution during molding. Finally, the effects of molding pressure, molding temperature, and mold material on glass blackening are studied. The results show that the blackening of leaded glass is caused by Pb enriching the surface. The rise in molding stress and temperature increases the deformation of Ni–P plating, which promotes the diffusion of Ni atoms. By adding a titanium incorporated diamond-like carbon (Ti-DLC) coating, the deformation of the Ni–P plating during molding is suppressed, and the diffusion of Ni atoms can be prevented. In this way, the blackening of leaded glass can be prevented.     

Different hydrothermal corrosion results between two sides of sodalime float glass and the possible corrosion mechanism

Sodalime float (SF) glass is widely used in our societies and industries. Hydrothermal corrosion method is one of the effective ways to prepare a superhydrophobic glass, but there is still lack of knowledge about hydrothermal corrosion behavior and mechanism of SF glass. We have hydrothermally treated SF glass at 180 °C for different time, and tried to reveal the aqueous corrosion process of SF glass. We have characterized the morphologies and chemical compositions of samples, and found that (1) the two sides of SF glass have different corrosion resistances, and (2) a multilayer structural coating with a nanoflake layer (Mg-rich gel layer), a nanowire layer (Ca-rich gel layer), and a porous layer (etched layer) is formed on the air-side of SF glass. Based on the experimental results, we have proposed an aqueous corrosion mechanism of SF glass. The insights of the hydrothermal corrosion behaviors and mechanism provide helpful guidelines to glass surface structural control and functionalization.     

The influence of volume fraction of amorphous phase on corrosion resistance of Mg67Zn 29Ca 4 alloy

The aim of this study was to investigate the structure and corrosion resistance of amorphous, amorphous‐crystalline, and crystalline Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloy for biodegradable applications. This paper presents a preparation method and results of the structural characterization and corrosion resistance analysis of the material. Samples were prepared in the form of 3 mm diameter rods. The structure of the alloy was examined with the use of X‐ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The thermal properties of the samples were examined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results of DSC analysis were used to determine heat treatment temperatures, allowing to obtain different fractures of crystalline phase in the material. Corrosion resistance of heat‐treated samples was investigated by immersion tests and electrochemical measurements performed in the simulated body fluid. The X‐ray diffraction results confirmed that the prepared Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloy's structure is fully amorphous. After heat treatment, samples with different fractions of amorphous phase in the structure were obtained. Immersion tests of the samples showed that the structure significantly influenced corrosion resistance in examined materials. It should be pointed out, that certain amounts of crystalline phase in amorphous matrix can greatly improve the corrosion resistance of Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloy.     

人工砂混凝土性能试验研究

采用正交试验方法配制了不同人工砂取代率、石粉含量、粉煤灰含量的混凝土, 对比了每组混凝土的坍落度, 研究了3 d、28 d龄期混凝土的抗压性能。结果表明: 最优配比的人工砂取代率、石粉含量和粉煤灰含量分别为10%、3%和5%, 此时28 d抗压强度为40.1 MPa, 满足30 MPa的混凝土设计强度。     

Crystal-field engineering of ultrabroadband mid-infrared emission in Co2+-doped nano-chalcogenide glass composites

Tunable and ultrabroadband mid-infrared (MIR) emissions in the range of 2.5–4.5 μm are firstly reported from Co²⁺-doped nano-chalcogenide (ChG) glass composites. The composites embedded with a variety of binary (ZnS, CdS, ZnSe) and ternary (ZnCdS, ZnSSe) ChG nanocrystals (NCs) can be readily obtained by a simple one-step thermal annealing method. They are highly transparent in the near- and mid-infrared wavelength region. Low-cost and commercially available Er³⁺-doped fiber lasers can be used as the excitation source. By crystal-field engineering of the embedded NCs through cation- or anion-substitution, the emission properties of Co²⁺ including its emission peak wavelength and bandwidth can be tailored in a broad spectral range. The phenomena can be accounted for by crystal-field theory. Such nano-ChG composites, perfectly filling the 3–4 μm spectral gap between the oscillations of Cr²⁺ and Fe²⁺ doped IIVI ChG crystals, may find important MIR photonic applications (e.g., gas sensing), or can be used directly as an efficient pump source for Fe²⁺: IIVI crystals which are suffering from lack of pump sources.