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A systematic research study was carried out in order to characterize the rheology of concentrated slurries prepared from eight nickel laterites. The experiments were carried out using a rotational viscometer, and the behavior of the laterites was evaluated in terms of the apparent viscosity and yield stress obtained through flow curve modeling. An attempt was made to correlate the results obtained for the laterite samples with data obtained for model single mineral systems as well as for model mixed mineral systems. In combination with detailed mineralogical characterization of the laterite samples, all the rheological results allowed a rheology-based laterite classification system to be proposed. Accordingly, the laterite samples gave the following responses: the SAPSIL samples (high-quartz) generally producedl ow yield stress values, the SAPFE samples (high-iron) were characterized by intermediate to high yield stress values, while the SAP samples (saprolite) gave the highest yield stress values. Interestingly, these dominant rheological responses of laterites could actually be predicted based on rheological tests carried out on model mineral suspensions (particularly goethite and quartz). Since the rheology of fine mineral suspensions is largely determined by the surface properties (surface charge) of the particles, a series of electro-acoustic measurements were also performed on model minerals and laterite samples to analyze the surface charge characteristics of the tested samples. It was demonstrated that the current electro-acoustic theory developed for single mineral systems can readily be used for modeling the behavior of mixed mineral systems. The modeling and experimental data agreed exceptionally well when constituent minerals were of the same surface charge under given pH. Clear but rather small deviations between experiment and theory were observed under conditions when the minerals were oppositely charged. This observation strongly suggested that inter-particle aggregation was most likely responsible for the observed discrepancies. Overall, the results of this thesis show that laterite slurries exhibit a wide range of rheological responses due to highly variable mineralogy, differences in particle size distributions, and difference in the surface properties of the many constituent minerals. It also shows that the surface properties of the minerals relates to rheology. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Mining Engineering, Keevil Institute of / Graduate

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An investigation was conducted on the interaction between nickel metal and single crystals of magnesium oxide. The nickel was cleaned with purified hydrogen gas at 800°C and melted under vacuum (5 x 10⁻⁵ mm. Hg) in contact with the magnesium oxide. The interface was examined metallographic-ally. The formation of compounds at the interface was examined by X-ray diffraction techniques. The magnesium oxide was plastically deformed by thermal stresses which occurred on cooling. Slip occurred on four slip planes only. The slip sources were present in the surface at a depth not exceeding ten microns. They were in the form of dislocation half-loops introduced in the surface during cleavage. The introduction of these half-loops was due to the formation of cleavage steps. Rows of dislocation half-loops were due to the multiplication of a half-loop on a slip plane oriented in the direction of propagation of the cleavage crack. Bond formation consisted of the formation of a magnesium-nickel compound (Mg₂Ni). The bond strength exceeded the stress for brittle fracture of magnesium oxide. Attack of the magnesium oxide occurred preferentially at the perimeter of the interface. This led to groove-formation, which resulted in a large hysteresis of wetting. The diffusion of nickel into magnesium oxide seemed to take place mainly by diffusion along dislocations. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Materials Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Specific detection of biological matter is one of the key elements in a wide range of modern fields such as food industry, medicine, environmental and pharmaceutical industries. Generally, current common methods of detection (e.g. ELISA) involve molecular labelling, requirements for well-trained personnel and lengthy experimental procedures such as bacteria culture. All of the above issues result in high costs for biological analysis, and consequently, high costs for medical service, therapeutic drugs and various food products. Biosensors, on the other hand, can provide quick and cheap solutions to these problems. The field of optical biosensors is dominated by the method of surface plasmon resonance, which so far has attracted a lot of attention in the pharmaceutical industry. Investigation of long-range surface plasmon-polariton waveguides as an application for biosensing is still very novel, and most of it exists in the venue of theoretical discussions and modelling. The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the capability of the novel optical biosensor based on plasmonic waveguides to selectively detect various biological entities in solutions. The experiments were conducted on photolithographically fabricated sensors consisting of straight gold waveguides embedded in low-refractive index fluoropolymer CYTOP and a microfluidic channel. As a proof-of-concept, a demonstration of basic sensing experiments such as detection of change in refractive index of bulk solution and non-specific adsorption of bovine serum albumin is provided. Further investigation of the sensor capabilities involved specific detection of human red blood cells and leukemia markers. Red blood cell detection was based on ABO blood grouping and included the estimation of limit of detection and signal-to-noise ratio for single cell detection. Finally, a clinically relevant problem of B-cell leukemia marker detection was targeted. The sensor demonstrated the ability to detect the relative abundance of similar proteins (immunoglobulin kappa and lambda) in a complex fluid (human serum). In addition, an experimental study on the optimization of the sensor for sensitivity was conducted.

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