Photoluminescence and X-ray excited scintillating properties of Tb3+-doped borosilicate aluminate glass scintillators

lthough single crystal scintillators have excellent performance, they have some drawbacks such as high cost, complicated elaboration method and difficulty of growth on large-scale. Glass scintillators are widely investigated to replace single crystal scintillators because of their simple fabrication method and low cost. In this paper, a series of transparent borosilicate aluminate glass scintillators doped with Tb³⁺ were successfully prepared by traditional melt-quenching method. The structural, luminescent, and X-ray excited scintillating properties were investigated. These glass samples show high stability and high transparency, and present good luminescent and scintillating properties. Sample with Tb³⁺ doping concentration of 10% has the best scintillating performance. The integrated intensity of X-ray excited luminescence is 66.6% of that of commercial Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ single crystal scintillator, and the quantum efficiency (under 378 nm excitation) is 70.3%. Our findings suggest that Tb³⁺-doped borosilicate aluminate glasses with high light yield might be used as potential scintillators.     

Calcium aluminate cement in castable alumina: From hydrate bonding to the in situ formation of calcium hexaluminate

Calcium hexaluminate (CA₆) is an intrinsically densification-resistant material, therefore, its porous structures are key materials for applications as high-temperature thermal insulators. This article reports on the combination of calcined alumina and calcium aluminate cement (CAC) in castable aqueous suspensions for the in situ production of porous CA₆. The CAC content (10–34 vol%) and the curing conditions ensure structural integrity prior to sintering and maximize the development of hydrated phases. Changes in physical properties, crystalline phases, and microstructure were investigated after isothermal treatments (120–1500 °C), and three sequential porogenic events were observed. The hydration of CAC preserved the water-derived pores (up to 120 °C), and the dehydroxylation of CAC hydrates (250–700 °C) generated inter-particles pores. Moreover, the in situ expansive formation of CA₂ and CA₆ (900–1500 °C) hindered densification and generated intra-particle pores. Such events differed from those observed with other CaO sources, and resulted in significantly higher pores content and lower thermal conductivity.     

Preparation of near net size porous alumina-calcium aluminate ceramics by gelcasting-pore-forming agent processs

In the processing of porous ceramics, shrinkage from green body to sintered compact during drying and sintering is one of the key concerns which affect microstructure and properties of porous ceramics. Through releasing gases from the burning of the pore forming agents, and volume expansion from the formation of low density resultants during sintering, the sintering shrinkage can be effectively compensated and near net size preparation can be achieved. Herein, near net size porous alumina-calcium aluminate ceramics with controllable shrinkage have been prepared using a combination of gelcasting and pore-forming agent process by adjusting the amount of CaCO₃ and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres added. Al₂O₃ and CaCO₃ were used as raw materials, PMMA microspheres were used as pore-forming agent, isobutylene/maleic anhydride copolymer (Isobam104) was used as gelling agent and dispersing agent. The effects of the addition amounts of CaCO₃ and PMMA in the slurry on the phase composition, shrinkage, porosity, and strength of porous alumina-calcium aluminate ceramics were investigated. The results show that as the CaCO₃ addition amount increases from 0 to 20 wt%, the shrinkage of the samples gradually decreases from 7.3% to −1.4%, and the consequent porosity increases from 58% to 66%, while the compressive strength increases from 5.9 to 15.5 MPa. When PMMA content increases from 10 to 50 wt%, the shrinkage of the samples decreases first and then increases, the porosity increases from 51% to 74%, and the compressive strength decreases from 12.5 to 5.3 MPa. The mechanisms for controlling shrinkages during preparation of porous alumina-calcium aluminate ceramics can be attributed to the following aspects: on one hand, gas release from burning of PMMA and decomposition of CaCO₃ during sintering; on the other hand, volume expansion due to the formation of lower density calcium aluminates which come from the reactions between CaO and Al₂O₃. The near net size preparation technique is of great significance for the manufacture of porous ceramics since the subsequent machining cost can be effectively reduced.     

Synthesis and characterization of calcium aluminate compounds from gehlenite by high-temperature solid-state reaction

The mineral transition mechanism and self-pulverization property of the sintered products in the Ca₂Al₂SiO₇-CaO system were systematically studied using pre-synthesized gehlenite determined by XRD, SEM, FTIR and particle size analyses. The minerals of Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃, CaAl₂O₄, Ca₃SiO₅ and Ca₂SiO₄ are formed by the direct reactions of Ca₂Al₂SiO₇ with CaO. CaAl₂O₄ reacts with CaO to form Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃ or Ca₃Al₂O₆, while Ca₃SiO₅ reacts with Ca₂Al₂SiO₇ to form Ca₂SiO₄ and calcium aluminate compounds. The sintered products mainly contain CaAl₂O₄, Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃ and Ca₂SiO₄ at 1350?°C or above 1500?°C when the molar ratio of CaO to Al₂O₃ is 1.0. Increasing the sintering duration or the CaO consumption promotes the transition of Ca₂Al₂SiO₇ to Ca₂SiO₄ and calcium aluminate compounds when sintered at 1350?°C, which accordingly improves the self-pulverization property of the sintered products. The formed minerals of Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃, CaAl₂O₄ and Ca₂SiO₄ transform into Ca₂Al₂SiO₇ again when the sintering temperature is between 1400?°C and 1450?°C, and the corresponding self-pulverization property of the sintered products deteriorates sharply.     

The effect of synthesis conditions on the physicochemical properties of magnesium aluminate materials

Magnesium aluminate-based materials were prepared by applying different methods: (i) mechanochemical milling of the initial mixture of magnesium and aluminium nitrate powders (in appropriate stoichiometric amounts) followed by heat treatment at temperatures of 650 °C and 850 °C and (ii) melting of the mixture of nitrate precursors at 240 °C followed by thermal treatment at 650 °C, 750 °C and 850 °C. The effect of synthesis method on the structure and morphology of the obtained solids was studied by using various techniques such as: nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, powder XRD, IR spectroscopy and SEM. It was shown that the mechanochemical milling performed before calcination procedure leads to obtaining of nanocrystalline magnesium aluminate spinel phase at lower temperature of 650 °C in comparison with the method using thermal treatment only (at 750 °C). The obtained nanomaterials exhibit mesoporous structure.     

Environmental-barrier coating ceramics for resistance against attack by molten calcia-magnesia-aluminosilicate (CMAS) glass: Part I,YAlO3 and γ-Y2Si2O7

The high-temperature (1500?°C) interactions of two promising dense, polycrystalline EBC ceramics, YAlO₃ (YAP) and γ-Y₂Si₂O₇, with a calcia-magnesia-aluminosilicate (CMAS) glass have been explored as part of a model study. Despite the fact that the optical basicities of both the EBC ceramics and the CMAS are similar, they both react with the CMAS. In the case of the Si-free YAlO₃, the reaction zone is small and it comprises three regions of reaction-crystallization products, including Y-Ca-Si apatite solid-solution (ss) and Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG)(ss). In contrast, only Y-Ca-Si apatite(ss) forms in the case of Si-containing γ-Y₂Si₂O₇, and the reaction zone is an order-of-magnitude thicker. These CMAS interactions are analyzed in detail, and are found to be strikingly different than those observed in Y-free EBC ceramics (β-Yb₂Si₂O₇ and β-Sc₂Si₂O₇) in the accompanying Part II paper. This is attributed to the presence of the Y in the YAlO₃ and γ-Y₂Si₂O₇ EBC ceramics.     

Behavior and mechanism of in-situ synthesis of auxiliary electrode for electrochemical sulfur sensor by calcium aluminate system

The behavior and mechanism of in-situ synthesis of the auxiliary electrode for sulfur sensor were investigated in this work, aiming for better application of calcium aluminate system in synthesizing the auxiliary electrode used for sulfur sensor. The in-situ reaction experiment was developed. In addition, the thermodynamic and kinetic calculations were adopted to further study the in-situ reaction possibility and the reaction rate. The results indicated that the value of lg(a_[S]/a_[O]) should be greater than a particular value to ensure the occurrence of the in-situ reaction. After immersion into the molten iron, the CaS phase was synthesized in the calcium aluminate system. The relationship between the reaction rate and reaction time was exponential, and the initial reaction rate was affected by the CaO content incorporated in the calcium aluminate system and the sulfur content in the molten iron. The initial in-situ reaction rate greatly increased with the increase of the CaO content and sulfur content. For example, the initial reaction rate was as high as 14.87 s^-1 when the calcium aluminate system containing 60 wt% of CaO and for a sulfur content of 0.077 wt% in the molten iron. Moreover, the reason that the sulfur sensor fabricated by the ZrO₂(MgO) tube with the calcium aluminate coating with different components had the same response time when measuring the different sulfur contents in the molten iron was further explained.     

热镀锌渣中浸渣硫酸浸出锌的工艺研究

以锌含量为17.22%的热镀锌渣中浸渣为原料,在水热反应釜中以硫酸为浸出剂浸出其中锌。结果表明,最佳浸出条件为: 硫酸体积浓度15%、浸出温度180 ℃、液固比6∶1、浸出时间8 h,此条件下锌浸出率可达到99.71%; 浸渣主要成分为硫酸铝盐和硫酸钙。     

Effect of nanosilica addition on bioactivity and in vivo properties of calcium aluminate cement

This study aims at assessing the influence of nanosilica on the bioactivity and mechanical properties of calcium aluminate cement. For this purpose, nanosilica was applied as a replacement for calcium aluminate cement at 0, 2, 5 and 8 wt%. The main components were analyzed by scanning electron microscope coupled with surface imaging and elemental analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. To estimate the bioactivity of specimens, hydroxyapatite formation on the surface of cement paste was investigated in the simulated body fluid solution. In addition, in vivo evaluation of calcium aluminate cement was performed in subcutaneous tissue of rats. To investigate the mechanical properties, both compressive and flexural strengths were also measured. The results revealed that by increasing nanosilica up to 8 wt%, the strength enhanced. Moreover all cement paste samples with various amounts of nanosilica represented good bioactivity because of formation of bonelike apatite layer on the surface of specimens within 28 days after soaking in simulated body fluid. In vivo experiments indicated that the cement sample was absorbed by the tissue and there was no infection at the implant site. Based on the in vitro and in vivo results, the specimen with 2 wt% nanosilica represented the highest bioactivity.     

LaMgAl11O19 synthesis using non-hydrolytic sol-gel methods

Polycrystalline LaMgAl₁₁O₁₉ (LMA) was prepared by four different non-hydrolytic sol-gel methods. From stable solutions, four powder precursors containing an amorphous and nanocrystalline phase with specific reactivity were obtained. The particle size, morphology, thermal behaviour, and phase composition of the powder precursors were studied using DLS, TEM, DSC/TG and XRD. Bulk ceramic samples containing LMA were prepared at 1200?°C for 16?h and examined in terms of phase purity and microstructure using XRD, SEM, and TEM. Raman spectroscopy of pure LMA was used to study the structure in detail. A mechanism of LMA formation and a relation between powder precursor properties and final phase composition is proposed. These findings may be useful for designing modern technologies for fabrication of LMA for optical or protective coating applications.