Neste trabalho, a moagem com alta energia foi utilizada para a ativação mecânica de misturas de pós de alumínio e nióbio, na proporção de 75% atômico de alumínio, para a síntese por reação de combustão do NbAl3. O objetivo foi investigar os mecanismos de ativação atuantes e a eventual preponderância de um deles. A moagem foi realizada tanto nos pós de alumínio e de nióbio separadamente (pré-ativação), como nas misturas. O processo de síntese por reação foi realizado no modo combustão simultânea, em pastilhas compactadas a partir de misturas com e sem ativação mecânica. O comportamento térmico das pastilhas foi registrado durante todo o ciclo térmico de aquecimento e, as principais características térmicas da reação de combustão, foram determinadas. O parâmetro de rede, o tamanho de cristalito e a microdeformação elástica do alumínio e do nióbio foram determinados por difratometria de raios X, mediante análise pelo método de Rietveld. A microscopia eletrônica de varredura foi utilizada para caracterização microestrutural dos pós moídos e da pastilha reagida. Constatou-se que o mecanismo preponderante de ativação mecânica é o aumento da área de interface, que ocorre durante a formação de agregados de partículas de alumínio e nióbio. A eficiência na formação de interfaces diminuiu com a utilização de nióbio pré-ativado (encruado) e com o aumento da quantidade de ácido esteárico (utilizado como agente controlador de processo durante a moagem). O efeito principal da ativação mecânica na síntese por reação de combustão foi a redução da temperatura de ignição com o aumento do tempo de moagem. A alta densidade de defeitos cristalinos, gerada durante a pré-ativação dos pós de alumínio e nióbio e na ativação mecânica das misturas, não produziu efeitos mensuráveis sobre o comportamento térmico das pastilhas. / In this work, mechanical activation of mixtures of niobium and aluminum powders (75 at.% of Al) was carried out by high energy ball milling, in order to produce NbAl3 by combustion synthesis. The purpose was to investigate activation mechanisms present and the eventual preponderancy of one of them. Beside mixtures, aluminum and niobium powders were separately activated by milling (pre-activation). Reaction synthesis, by simultaneous combustion mode, was conducted on compacted pellets made of activated and non-activated powder mixtures. The thermal behavior of the compacted pellets upon heating was recorded and main thermal characteristics of the combustion reaction were evaluated. Lattice parameter, crystallite size and microstrain for niobium and aluminum were measured by X-ray diffraction analysis, using the Rietveld method. Scanning electron microscopy was used for microstructural characterization of milled powders and reacted pellets. The growth of interface area in the aggregates of aluminum and niobium, formed during milling, was shown to be the main activation mechanism. Both pre-activated niobium and increased quantities of stearic acid (milling process control agent) hinder the interface formation. The main effect of mechanical activation in the reaction synthesis was to reduce the ignition temperature with the increase of the milling time. High density of crystal defects attained during milling (pre-activation of single powders or activation of the mixtures) produced no measurable effects to the thermal behavior of pellets.

Neste trabalho, a moagem com alta energia foi utilizada para a ativação mecânica de misturas de pós de alumínio e nióbio, na proporção de 75% atômico de alumínio, para a síntese por reação de combustão do NbAl3. O objetivo foi investigar os mecanismos de ativação atuantes e a eventual preponderância de um deles. A moagem foi realizada tanto nos pós de alumínio e de nióbio separadamente (pré-ativação), como nas misturas. O processo de síntese por reação foi realizado no modo combustão simultânea, em pastilhas compactadas a partir de misturas com e sem ativação mecânica. O comportamento térmico das pastilhas foi registrado durante todo o ciclo térmico de aquecimento e, as principais características térmicas da reação de combustão, foram determinadas. O parâmetro de rede, o tamanho de cristalito e a microdeformação elástica do alumínio e do nióbio foram determinados por difratometria de raios X, mediante análise pelo método de Rietveld. A microscopia eletrônica de varredura foi utilizada para caracterização microestrutural dos pós moídos e da pastilha reagida. Constatou-se que o mecanismo preponderante de ativação mecânica é o aumento da área de interface, que ocorre durante a formação de agregados de partículas de alumínio e nióbio. A eficiência na formação de interfaces diminuiu com a utilização de nióbio pré-ativado (encruado) e com o aumento da quantidade de ácido esteárico (utilizado como agente controlador de processo durante a moagem). O efeito principal da ativação mecânica na síntese por reação de combustão foi a redução da temperatura de ignição com o aumento do tempo de moagem. A alta densidade de defeitos cristalinos, gerada durante a pré-ativação dos pós de alumínio e nióbio e na ativação mecânica das misturas, não produziu efeitos mensuráveis sobre o comportamento térmico das pastilhas. / In this work, mechanical activation of mixtures of niobium and aluminum powders (75 at.% of Al) was carried out by high energy ball milling, in order to produce NbAl3 by combustion synthesis. The purpose was to investigate activation mechanisms present and the eventual preponderancy of one of them. Beside mixtures, aluminum and niobium powders were separately activated by milling (pre-activation). Reaction synthesis, by simultaneous combustion mode, was conducted on compacted pellets made of activated and non-activated powder mixtures. The thermal behavior of the compacted pellets upon heating was recorded and main thermal characteristics of the combustion reaction were evaluated. Lattice parameter, crystallite size and microstrain for niobium and aluminum were measured by X-ray diffraction analysis, using the Rietveld method. Scanning electron microscopy was used for microstructural characterization of milled powders and reacted pellets. The growth of interface area in the aggregates of aluminum and niobium, formed during milling, was shown to be the main activation mechanism. Both pre-activated niobium and increased quantities of stearic acid (milling process control agent) hinder the interface formation. The main effect of mechanical activation in the reaction synthesis was to reduce the ignition temperature with the increase of the milling time. High density of crystal defects attained during milling (pre-activation of single powders or activation of the mixtures) produced no measurable effects to the thermal behavior of pellets.

<p>This PhD thesis focuses on the mechanical activation of TGFβ in the context of pulmonary fibrosis. Mechanical TGFβ activation occurs by physical force of breathing and signals to the nucleus via phospho‐Smad2. This activation occurs in presence of strong pan‐serine protease and matrix metalloproteinase inhibition. The augmented expression of latent TGFβ in lung tissue also lead to TGFβ activity following tissue stretch. Tissue biopsies from pulmonary fibrosis patients exhibited the same mechanical TGFβ activation and subsequent accumulation of phospho‐Smad2 as was seen in animal models. In rodent models and human control tissue, TGFβ was not released in detectable quantities, nor was there any significant upregulation of phospho‐Smad2. These data show that mechanical TGFβ activation is a relevant and limited to the context of a fibrotic disease process. Non‐invasive investigation of lung fibrosis was evaluated for correlation to classical assessments. We found that non‐invasive lung function parameters measured by a rodent ventilator, and small animal CT imaging correlated significantly with histomorphometic Ashcroft scoring. Exercise testing and quantification of the maximal oxygen consumption rate was a valuable indicator of overall rodent lung health but did not correlated significantly with Ashcroft scoring. Non‐invasive investigation tools evaluated here represent important advances in the quality of interpretation of preclinical lung fibrosis trials. Finally, collagen turnover was investigated by measurement of pyridinolines and serum collagen metabolic peptides. A novel method was developed and tested to detect pyridinolines in facile procedure. We found that deoxypyridinolines, but not pyridinolines, were significantly increased in the serum of lung fibrosis patients with respect to healthy controls. Furthermore, collagen type 1 telopeptide, a collagen breakdown product, was significantly increased in lung fibrosis patient serum. These data intriguingly indicate that under stable lung fibrosis conditions, more collagen appears to be breaking down into the serum then is synthesized.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

EU Sustainable Development Strategy planned to achieve improvement of life-quality by promoting sustainable production and consumption of raw materials. On November 2018, EU Commission presented a long-term strategy, aiming among others a climate-neutral economy by 2050. Cement production is contributing to 6-10% of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Thus, several strategies for total or partial replacement of Portland cement in concrete production have been developed. The use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) and alkali-activated materials (AAM) is considered the most efficient countermeasure to diminish CO2 emissions. The broadening of knowledge with particular attention to the sustainable goals is the primary requirement to be fulfilled when novel materials are investigated. This study aims to develop a novel clay-based binder that can be used as a sustainable alternative to produce SCM as well as AAM. Clay is a commonly occurring material, with large deposits worldwide. However, natural clay has a low reactivity and various compositions, depending, e.g. on the weathering conditions. The present research aims exactly at enhancing the reactivity of natural clays occurring in Sweden subjecting them to mechanical activation in a planetary ball mill. Ball milling (BM) is considered a clean technology able to enhance the reactivity of crystalline materials without resorting to high processing temperatures or additional chemicals. BM was able to induce amorphization in clay minerals and to transform the layered platy morphology to spherical shape particles. The efficiency of the process was strictly related to the used process parameters. Higher ball to processed powder (B/P) ratio, longer time of grinding and higher grinding speeds increased the degree of the obtained amorphization. However, an undesired extensive caking and agglomeration occurred in certain setups. The potential of activated clay as a SCM was investigated in specific case studies. The measured compressive strength results showed a direct correlation between the enhanced amorphization degree of the mechanically activated clay and the increased strength values. The pozzolanic activity was induced and enhanced after the mechanical activation of the clay. The reactivity was assessed by the strength activity index (SAI). Furthermore, preliminary tests have shown that the alkali activation of the processed clays produced solidified matrixes with considerable strength.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T20:43:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mauricio Castro.pdf: 5841824 bytes, checksum: 35f8699394396800943abee89ca868ba (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-01-30 / Fundação Araucária de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Paraná / This study aims to compare the supply capacity of power each of the three main types of high-energy mills: The "SPEX", Planetary and "Attritor" mills. The system used was chromium oxide with metallic aluminum, both are powders. The reduction reaction of chromium oxide with aluminum in the milling does not occur instantaneously, but is stimulated with mechanical activation of the reagents. The mechanical activation in milling, together with the subsequent heat treatment is that makes a reaction. The energy comparison was made between the mill in two steps: In the first step the milling power was varied for the three mills to be able to identify the milling resulted in the highest exotermic energy peak in the reaction, whereas in the second stage ranged -if the time for milling time find themselves exhibited higher energy released in the reaction. This comparison between the reaction energy peaks confirmed the SPEX as the mill with greater power supply capacity, ie: The mill with the largest peak energy released, followed by the Planetary mill and finally by Attritor mill. In the energy comparison, we studied the influence of the presence of a process control agent in the reaction energy peaks at different milling powers. The milled samples had their power surges reaction determined by thermal analysis of the post. This energy released in the process varied, tending to exhibit a higher peak energy for each of the evaluated parameters (milling power and milling time). There was the use of x-ray diffraction to show the reduction of ground and treated material. Some samples of the powders were pressed only ground and heat treated in an oven. In order to observe the structures formed in the scanning electron microscope, and correlate the structures formed by reactive process studied. Obtained structures consisting of chromium beads dispersed among a substrate of aluminum oxide, both products of the reduction reaction. / Este trabalho tem como objetivo comparar a capacidade de fornecimento de energia de cada um dos três principais tipos de moinhos de alta energia: Os moinhos “SPEX”, Planetário e “Attritor”. O sistema usado foi o óxido de cromo com alumínio metálico, ambos na forma de pós. A reação de redução do óxido de cromo pelo alumínio não ocorre instantaneamente na moagem, mas é estimulada com a ativação mecânica dos reagentes. A ativação mecânica na moagem, aliada ao tratamento térmico posterior é que faz a reação ocorrer. A comparação energética entre os moinhos foi feita em duas etapas: Na primeira etapa variou-se o poder de moagem para os três moinhos a fim de identificar o poder de moagem que proporcionou o maior pico de energia na reação, enquanto que na segunda etapa variou-se o tempo para encontrar-se o tempo de moagem que exibiu maior energia liberada na reação. Esta comparação entre os picos de energia de reação confirmou o SPEX como o moinho com maior capacidade de fornecimento de energia, ou seja: O moinho com o maior pico energia liberada, seguido pelo moinho Planetário e por fim pelo moinho Attritor. Além da comparação energética, estudou-se a influência da presença de um agente controlador de processo nos picos de energia de reação em diferentes poderes de moagem. As amostras moídas tiveram seus picos de energia da reação determinados por análises térmicas dos pós. Essa energia liberada no processo variou, tendendo a exibir um maior pico de energia para cada um dos parâmetros avaliados (poder e tempo de moagem). Fez-se o uso da difração de raios x para evidenciar a redução do material moído e tratado. Algumas amostras dos pós apenas moídos foram prensadas e tratadas termicamente em forno. A fim de se observar as estruturas formadas em microscópio eletrônico de varredura, bem como correlacionar as estruturas formadas ao processo reativo estudado. Obteve-se estruturas constituídas por esferas de cromo dispersas em meio a um substrato de óxido de alumínio, ambos produtos da reação de redução.

This diploma thesis mainly tracks the effect of grinding technology on the final properties of portland cement and selected pozzolanic materials. For grinding of portland cement, was also observed the effect of storage time on the final mechanical properties and hydratation process. Pozzolan activity of selected materials was monitored by evaluation of the reaction with CaO by differential thermal analysis.

The disses thesis is focused on usage of secondary raw materials from the electric power industry, specifically fly ash as a component for the building industry, concentrated on concrete. Two main streams are covered, environmental and economical. Reasons, which led to focus on the selected subject are coming mainly from the scarcity and availability of high-quality mineral resources, environmental pressure for usage of industry byproduct, reducing emissions and economical pressure to reduce production cost, especially raw materials. The main purpose of the work was to verify the possibility of increasing the usability of fly ash as a mineral additive in the technology of concrete production with materials retrieved from coal fired power plants and applying mechanical activation of fly ash. The main goal of the experimental part of work was to demonstrate improvement of fresh and hardened concrete properties as a main condition to support economic efficiency of mechanical activated fly ash. Base on previous facts the methodology was covering two main areas, the experimental and the assessment. Relatively large sets of tests were performed, using a wide range of tested high temperature fly ash and fluidized bed combustion fly ash granulometrically treated, by mixing and grinding. Results of the testing confirmed focused parameters for concrete and mortar mechanical properties, total economical efficiency of the targeted solution and the subject of the dissertation. In the experiment section has been retrieved valuable findings contributing to the overall knowledge of the faculty, also for the practical application. The results of the tests confirmed the achievement of the planned target parameters, both in terms of physical and mechanical properties of experienced mortars and concretes, as well as the overall economic efficiency of the proposed design and the topic of the disses thesis. Within the experimental work, valuable professional knowledge and benefits w

Non-stoichiometric strontium iron oxide is described by an abbreviated formula SrFeOx (2.5 ≤ x ≤ 3.0) exhibits a variety of interesting physical and chemical properties over a broad range of temperatures and in different gaseous environments. The oxide contains a mixture of iron in the trivalent and the rare tetravalent state. The material at elevated temperature is a mixed oxygen conductor and it, or its derivatives,can have practical applications in oxygen conducting devices such as pressure driven oxygen generators, partial oxidation reactors in electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). ¶ This thesis examines the behaviour of the material at ambient and elevated temperatures using a broad spectrum of solid state experimental techniques such as: x-ray and neutron powder diffraction,thermogravimetric and calorimetric methods,scanning electron microscopy and Mossbauer spectroscopy. Changes in the oxide were induced using conventional thermal treatment in various atmospheres as well as mechanical energy (ball milling). The first experimental chapter examines the formation of the ferrite from a mixture of reactants.It describes the chemical reactions and phase transitions that lead to the formation of the oxide. Ball milling of the reactants prior to annealing was found to eliminate transient phases from the reaction route and to increase the kinetics of the reaction at lower temperatures. Examination of the thermodynamics of iron oxide (hematite) used for the reactions led to a new route of synthesis of the ferrite frommagnetite and strontium carbonate.This chapter also explores the possibility of synthesis of the material at room temperature using ball milling. ¶ The ferrite strongly interacts with the gas phase so its behaviour was studied under different pressures of oxygen and in carbon dioxide.The changes in ferrite composition have an equilibrium character and depend on temperature and oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. Variations of the oxygen content x were described as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure, the results were used to plot an equilibrium composition diagram. The heat of oxidation was also measured as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. ¶ Interaction of the ferrite with carbon dioxide below a critical temperature causes decomposition of the material to strontium carbonate and SrFe12O19 . The critical temperature depends on the partial pressure of CO2 and above the critical temperature the carbonate and SrFe12O19 are converted back into the ferrite.The resulting SrFe12O19 is very resistant towards carbonation and the thermal carbonation reaction does not lead to a complete decomposition of SrFeOx to hematite and strontium carbonate. ¶ The thermally induced oxidation and carbonation reactions cease at room temperature due to sluggish kinetics however,they can be carried out at ambient temperature using ball milling.The reaction routes for these processes are different from the thermal routes.The mechanical oxidation induces two or more concurrent reactions which lead to samples containing two or more phases. The mechanical carbonation on the other hand produces an unknown metastable iron carbonate and leads a complete decomposition of the ferrite to strontiumcarbonate and hematite. ¶ Thermally and mechanically oxidized samples were studied using Mossbauer spectroscopy. The author proposes a new interpretation of the Sr4Fe4O11 (x=2.75) and Sr8Fe8O23 (x=2.875)spectra.The interpretation is based on the chemistry of the compounds and provides a simpler explanation of the observed absorption lines.The Mossbauer results froma range of compositions revealed the roomtemperature phase behaviour of the ferrite also examined using x-ray diffraction. ¶ The high-temperature crystal structure of the ferrite was examined using neutron powder diffraction.The measurements were done at temperatures up to 1273K in argon and air atmospheres.The former atmosphere protects Sr2Fe2O5 (x=2.5) against oxidation and the measurements in air allowed variation of the composition of the oxide in the range 2.56 ≤ x ≤ 2.81. Sr2Fe2O5 is an antiferromagnet and undergoes phase transitions to the paramagnetic state at 692K and from the orthorhombic to the cubic structure around 1140K.The oxidized formof the ferrite also undergoes a transition to the high-temperature cubic form.The author proposes a new structural model for the cubic phase based on a unit cell with the Fm3c symmetry. The new model allows a description of the high-temperature cubic form of the ferrite as a solid solution of the composition end members.The results were used to draw a phase diagramfor the SrFeOx system. ¶ The last chapter summarizes the findings and suggests directions for further research.