Silicate glasses are the most common glass types and have impact on almost every aspect in our lives: from window, containers, to glass fibers for telecommunications. Unlike their crystalline counterparts, glass materials lack long-range order in their atomic arrangement but their structures do possess short and medium range characteristics that play critical roles in their physical and chemical properties. Despite active development of characterization techniques that have contributed to the understanding of glass structures, there remain key challenges in obtaining essential structural features of glasses. Atomistic computer simulations have become an increasingly important method in elucidating the atomic structures and in interpretation and/or prediction of composition-structure-property relationships of complex materials. In this dissertation, classical molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were used to investigate the atomic structures, dynamic and other properties of two important glass systems—aluminosilicate glasses and borosilicate glasses, which are the basis of most industrial and technologically important glasses. Firstly, a comprehensive study of peralkaline Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2 glass with varying Al2O3/SiO2, Na2O/Al2O3, Na2O/SiO2 ratios has been performed to obtain better understanding of the composition–structure–property relationships in this glass system. More than 99% of Al were 4-coordinated in these glasses, validating that Na+ tend to charge balance [AlO4]- network forming units first and then, excess Na+ was used to create non-bridging oxygen (NBO) on Si. As the drop of Na/Al ratio, the percentage of NBO decreases, indicating an increase of the glass network connectivity. In addition, polyhedral connection probability results show that Al tend to be randomly distributed in the glass structure, suggesting a violation of Lowenstein's rule. These structural properties were further used to explain macroscopic properties of glass, such as change of glass transition temperature (Tg) and hardness (Hv) with glass composition. Secondly, molecular dynamics simulations were used to understand the structural, thermal mechanical and diffusion behaviors of spodumene (LiAlSi2O6) crystalline phases and glasses. It was found that β-LiAlSi2O6 has a structure much closer to the glass phase. The α-LiAlSi2O6 phase, however, has a more closed-packed structure and higher density. The diffusion behaviors were also found to be closely related to the atomic structures. Thirdly, the surface atomic structures of a series of sodium borosilicate glasses were studied using recently developed compositional dependent partial charge potentials. This provides insight into: a) the structural difference between glass surface and bulk glass; b) the evolution of bulk and surface structures as the change of glass composition. Lastly, pressure and temperature effects on the structure and properties of borosilicate glass were investigated in detail. A serial data derived from different compression temperatures and pressures enable us to explore the link between the microstructure and macroscopic physical properties. The results show that compression temperature and pressure play important roles in glass densification process and may result various glass densification mechanism. This dissertation demonstrates that atomistic simulations coupled with effective potentials and careful validations have become an effective method in research and design of complex glass materials.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1981. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Bibliography: leaves 52-55. / by Guyton Hampton Watkins, Jr. / M.S.

The mean-square displacement amplitudes (MSDA) of the tetrahedral cations Si and Al are compared to the MSDA of their coordinated O atoms in framework silica polymorphs and aluminosilicate structures. Criteria are established which indicate order, structural disorder or substitutional disorder in a framework crystal. / Master of Science

The last decade has seen many new developments in the foundry industry, among them the CO₂ process for curing molds and cores. The CO₂ process consists essentially of mixing dry, clay-free, silica sand with an organic liquid sodium silicate binder, then ramming this mix into molds or core boxes and injecting CO₂ gas. The CO₂ gas reacts with the sodium silicate binder forming a silica gel which hardens rapidly in atmospheric conditions. The CO₂ molds are more resistant to metallostatic pressure and erosion than either green or dry sand molds but more expensive also. The CO₂ cores are hardened rapidly without the benefit of a baking cycle characteristic of the production of conventional organically-bonded cores. The CO₂ cores are more economically compared with other core-making processes than the CO₂ molds are compared with other sand-molding processes. The casting property, fluidity, is a qualitative measure of the ability of a metal to completely fill a mold cavity and is normally expressed as inches of flow in a small channel. Mold material variables, gating and flow-channel variables, and metallurgical variables, such as metal composition and the number of degrees superheat, all affect the fluidity values. This paper presents a spiral fluidity pattern for determining the fluidity of aluminum-silicon alloys in CO₂ molds made by a standard procedure. A standardized molding, melting, and pouring procedure is suggested to control certain fluidity variables while investigating the influence of other fluidity variables. Finally, a statistical method is presented to ascertain the significance of the effect certain variables may have on fluidity. Preliminary investigations pertinent to the major objective of this paper indicate aluminum-silicon alloys are less fluid in CO₂ molds than in green sand. Investigations also indicate that certain variabilities in testing procedure which an operating foundry might encounter have no statistically significant effect on fluidity. / Master of Science

A la suite d’une lésion carieuse ou traumatique du complexe pulpo-dentinaire, une inflammation locale est initiée. Cette inflammation peut être délétère car la pulpe dentaire est localisée au sein de parois dentinaires rigides, elle doit donc être résolue pour initier la régénération.Lors de lésions juxta-pulpaires, le praticien réalise un coiffage pulpaire direct afin de conserver la vitalité de la dent. Un biomatériau est placé au contact des tissus pulpaires afin de maintenir l’intégrité de la pulpe, en promouvant les processus de guérison tout en la protégeant du milieu buccal hostile.Les silicates de calcium sont aujourd’hui les matériaux de choix pour ces actes thérapeutiques. Des modifications de leur formulation visant à réduire leur temps de prise ont conduit au développement de silicates tricalciques photo-polymérisables. Cependant, la présence importante de résines dont la toxicité pulpaire est connue, soulève des questions. Cette thèse a pour objectif d’évaluer l’effet de différents biomatériaux de coiffage pulpaire sur l’inflammation et la régénération, au niveau cellulaire et tissulaire et d'étudier les conséquences de l'ajout de résines. Nos résultats démontrent que les matériaux de coiffage pulpaire affectent les étapes précoces de l'inflammation et de la régénération pulpaire. Alors que les silicates tricalciques modifient l'équilibre vers le processus de régénération, les biomatériaux contenant de la résine déplacent cet équilibre vers une réaction inflammatoire. Ce travail met en évidence l'importance capitale du choix du biomatériau de coiffage et restreint l'utilisation de biomatériaux contenant de la résine pour le coiffage pulpaire indirect. / Deep carious or physical lesions may lead to dental pulp injuries. Subsequently, both infiltrating bacteria and injured tissues initiate an inflammatory reaction. This may be detrimental to the healing process within the pulp inextensible environment.Clinically, during juxta-pulpal lesions, the practitioner performs a direct pulp capping in order to preserve the tooth vitality. A biomaterial is placed directly in contact with the pulp tissues to maintain pulp integrity, promoting the healing processes and protecting it from the hostile oral environment. Tricalcium silicates are now considered as the biomaterials of choice for vital pulp therapy. Modifications of this type of biomaterials aiming at reducing their setting time led to the development of light-cured tricalcium silicates. However, the presence of a high percentage of resins in this material raises questions about its possible effects on the pulp inflammatory reaction due to its reported toxicity. This aim of this thesis was to determine the influence of tricalcium silicate-based capping biomaterials on the initial steps of pulp inflammation and healing and to investigate the consequences of adding resins.Our results demonstrate that pulp capping biomaterials affect the early steps of pulp inflammation and healing. While tricalcium silicates shift the balance towards the healing process, resin-containing biomaterials drive this balance towards an inflammatory reaction. Overall, this work highlights the fact that the choice of pulp capping biomaterial is of prime importance in direct pulp capping procedures and does not support using resin containing biomaterials for direct pulp capping.

Cette thèse se découpe en deux volets complémentaires, orientés sur la formation planétaire dans les disques autour d'étoiles jeunes. Dans une première partie je présente les résultats obtenus avec des données spectroscopiques du satellite Spitzer. Ces spectres (5-35 µm) montrent un grand nombre de raies en émission, attribuées à des poussière silicatées, amorphes ou cristallines. Sur un large échantillon, j'ai mené deux analyses statistiques complémentaires sur la minéralogie des grains de poussière. Je montre tout d'abord que les silicates cristallins sont très présents dans les disques proto-planétaires, et je mets en évidence un paradoxe de cristallinité sur la distribution radiale de ces cristallins, avec moins de cristaux dans les régions internes (lieu de leur formation préférentiel) que dans les régions externes. Des processus d'amorphisation peuvent être responsables de cet écart. Par la suite, j'ai montré qu'un applatissement des distributions en taille de grain a lieu dans les disques (ce qui était souvent interprété comme un grossissement de grains). Cela peut s'expliquer soit par un changement d'équilibre entre les processus de fragmentation et de coagulation, soit par une évacuation des petits grains par la pression de radiation ou les vents stellaires. Dans une seconde partie, je présente les résultats d'observations pionières, par la méthode d'interférométrie dans le proche infrarouge, avec l'instrument AMBER, pour deux étoiles TTauri. Ces observations ont permis de confirmer deux modèles existants dans la litérature : i) la présence d'un sillon dans un disque en transition, avec un disque interne proche de l'étoile, ii) l'importance de la lumière diffusée dans l'interprétation de données interférométriques. Ces travaux permettent de mieux connaître les régions de formation planétaire.

The new nickel/layered silicate nanocomposites were electrodeposited from different pHs to study the influence on the metal ions/layered silicate plating solution and on the properties of the deposited films. Nickel/layered silicate nanocomposites were fabricated from citrate bath atacidic pHs (1.6−3.0), from Watts’ type solution (pH ~4-5), and from citrate bath at basic pH (~9). Additionally, the new nickel/molybdenum/layered silicate nanocomposites were electrodeposited from citrate bath at pH 9.5. The silicate, montmorillonite (MMT), was exfoliated by stirring in aqueous solution over 24 hours. The plating solutions were analyzed for zeta potential, particle size, viscosity, and conductivity to investigate the effects of the composition at various pHs. The preferred crystalline orientation and the crystalline size of nickel, nickel/layered silicate, nickel/molybdenum, and nickel/molybdenum/layered silicate films were examined by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure of the coatings and the surface roughness was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Nickel/molybdenum/layered silicate nanocomposites containing low content of layered silicate (1.0 g/L) had increase 32 % hardness and 22 % Young’s modulus values over the pure nickel/molybdenum alloy films. The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance measurements showed that the nickel/molybdenum/layered silicate nanocomposite layers have higher corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl compared to the pure alloy films. The corrosion current density of the nickel/molybdenum/layered silicate nanocomposite composed of 0.5 g/L MMT is 0.63 µA·cm-2 as compare to a nickel/molybdenum alloy which is 2.00 µA·cm-2.

Submitted by Marco Antonio Oliveira da Silva (maosilva@ipen.br) on 2017-05-25T17:33:34Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-25T17:33:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Fósforos a base de silicatos de Ca e Mg foram preparados pelo método sol-gel combinado com o processo de sais fundidos. O gel de sílica foi obtido a partir da solução de Na2SiO3 usando soluções de cloretos de európio, disprósio, cálcio e magnésio. Assim, estes cloretos foram homogeneamente distribuídos no gel. O gel obtido foi seco e tratado termicamente a 900°C por 1h para permitir a fusão dos sais presentes. Em seguida o material foi lavado com água até teste negativo para íons Cl- e seco em estufa a 80°C. A redução do európio para Eu2+ foi realizada em um forno sob atmosfera de 5% de H2 e 95% de Ar a 900°C por 3h para obter os fósforos de CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ e CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+:Dy3+. Nos difratogramas de DRX das amostras, a diopsita foi identificada como fase cristalina principal e quartzo, como a secundária. Micrografias obtidas por MEV (microscopia eletrônica de varredura), das amostras, mostraram morfologia acicular, esférica, folhas e bastonetes das partículas e dos aglomerados . Curva de análise térmica (TGA-DTGA) revelou que a temperatura de cristalização do CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ é próxima de 765°C. Estudos de espectroscopia de fotoluminescência foram baseados nas transições interconfiguracionais 4fN → 4fN-1 5d do íon Eu2+. O espectro de excitação apresentou banda larga relativa à transição de transferência de carga ligante metal (LMCT) O2- (2p) → Eu3+ na região de 250 nm e bandas finas oriundas das transições 4f → 4f do íon Eu3+ , mostrando a transição 7F0 → 5L6 em 393 nm quando a emissão é monitorada em 583,5 nm. E o espectro de emissão com excitação monitorada em 393 nm apresentou picos finos entre 570 e 750 nm característicos das transições 5D0 → 7 FJ (J = 0 - 5) do íon Eu3+ , indicando que o íon Eu3+ se encontra em um sítio com centro de inversão. Os resultados obtidos indicam que o método desenvolvido é viável na síntese de fóforos, CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ e CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+:Dy3+ como foi proposto. / Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

L’altération des roches silicatées constitue le dénominateur commun d’une multitude de problématiques environnementales et sociétales. Du fait de la difficulté d’extrapoler au milieu naturel les cinétiques de dissolution des minéraux mesurées in vitro, cette thèse propose de réviser en profondeur l’approche actuelle de la réactivité minérale du laboratoire au terrain. Ce travail démontre que l’évolution intrinsèque des propriétés texturales et structurales de l’interface réactive au cours de la dissolution induit des variations de vitesse qui ne peuvent être expliquées dans le cadre des théories thermocinétiques classiques. Nous proposons une nouvelle méthode permettant de sonder la réactivité biogéochimique des minéraux sur le terrain et de révéler les interactions réciproques entre le minéral et le monde microbien au sein de la minéralosphère. Nous démontrons la pertinence des phénomènes de passivation pour l’altération de surface et l’incapacité des microorganismes à les surmonter. / Chemical weathering of silicate minerals is central to numerous environmental and societal challenges. This study addresses the long-standing question of the inconsistency between field and laboratory estimates of dissolution kinetics, by revisiting current approaches of mineral reactivity. It is demonstrated that evolution of feldspar reaction rates are inaccurately describedby current kinetics rate laws, due to textural and structural changes occurring at the fluid-mineral interface over the course of the dissolution process. A novel method is developed to enable probing biogeochemical weathering rates in the field. Bacterial and fungal metagenomic data reveal that subtle reciprocal relationships are established between microorganisms and mineral substrates within the mineralosphere. This thesis emphasizes the impact of passivation phenomena on dissolution rates, under field-relevant reacting conditions and the incapacity of microorganisms to overcome the passivation barrier.

Les piles à combustibles à électrolyte solide de type SOFC permettent de transformer directement l’énergie de la réaction chimique de formation de l’eau à partir de l’hydrogène et de l’oxygène, en énergie électrique. De nos jours, les apatites de type silicates de terres rares présentent beaucoup d’intérêt comme électrolyte solide en raison de leurs propriétés de transport élevées avec une forte conductivité ionique et une faible énergie d'activation. Ils peuvent fonctionner de manière stable à une température intermédiaire sur une large plage de pression partielle d'oxygène en maintenant d'excellentes performances. Ils sont ainsi considérés comme de bons candidats pour les électrolytes de piles de type IT-SOFC. Parmi cette série de conducteurs, le type La-Si-O possède une conductivité plus élevée et leur performance serait modifiée par différents éléments dopants.L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier les effets des éléments de substitution / dopage ainsi que les méthodes de synthèse sur les propriétés structurales ainsi que sur la conductivité des apatites de type silicates de lanthane. Dans cette étude, nous utilisons une double approche: une approche de simulation et une approche expérimentale pour optimiser la pureté et les performances des matériaux d'électrolyte.Dans l'approche de simulation, le calcul basé sur la DFT (Théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité) a été réalisée en vue d’étudier l'effet des positions de dopage: dopant Sr à La position de La et dopant Ge à la position de Si. Les résultats obtenus par le calcul concernant la conductivité ionique confirment ceux obtenus par l’expérience.Avec l’approche expérimentale, nous présentons la synthèse et la caractérisation de La10Si6O27 (LSO) dopé par Sr et élaboré par des procédés sol-gel. Les résultats montrent que la conductivité ionique est activé thermiquement et que les valeurs se situent entre 4,5 × 10-2 et 1 x 10-6 S·cm-1 à 873 K et dépend des conditions d’élaboration et de la composition de la poudre. / The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) defined by its ceramic and oxide electrolyte, is an electrochemical energy conversion device that produces electricity directly from the chemical reaction of fuel. Nowadays, apatite type rare earths silicates and germaniums attract many interests as the solid electrolyte due to the superior transport properties with high ionic conductivity and low activation energy. They can operate stably at intermediate temperature over a wide oxygen partial pressure range and maintain excellent performances, being considered as a candidate for IT-SOFC electrolytes. Among this series of conductors, the La-Si-O type has a higher conductivity and the performance would be modified by different doping elements.The objective of this thesis is to study the effects of element substitution/doping and synthesis methods on the structural and conductivity properties of apatite type lanthanum silicates. In this study, we use a double approach: a simulation approach and an experimental approach to optimize the electrolyte materials purity and performance.Using simulation approach, a first principle calculation based on DFT (Density Functional Theory) was carried out to investigate the effect on doping positions: Sr dopant at La position and Ge dopant at Si position. The calculation results give a connection to the ionic conductivity obtained by experiments.With experimental approach, we present the synthesis and characterization of Sr-doped La10Si6O27 (LSO) prepared through an optimized water-based sol-gel process. The results show that the ionic conductivity is thermally activated and values lies between 4.5×10-2 and 1×10-6 Scm-1 at 873 K as a function of the composition and powder preparation conditions.