Sodalite Na8(Al6Si6O24)Cl2 (space group P4¯3n) is an important mineral belonging to the zeolite group, with several and manyfold fundamental technological applications. Despite interest in this from different disciplines, very little known regarding its high-pressure elastic properties. The present study aims at filling knowledge gap, reporting equation of state moduli sodalite calculated a wid...

Radioactive strontium (90Sr) is an important constituent of the complex wastes from past nuclear weapons production and has been stored in underground tanks at U.S. DOE sites (e.g., Hanford, WA). Using bulk and microfocused EXAFS spectroscopy, we examined temporal changes in solid-phase Sr speciation in kaolinite samples reacted for 1-369 d with high-pH, high ionic strength synthetic tank-waste...

Aluminum metal is produced by the electrolytic reduction of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), mainly extracted from bauxite ore digested in a hot caustic soda solution. This solution is supersaturated with respect to sodium aluminate and silicate, which react together to form sodalite (3[Na2O⋅Al2O3⋅2SiO2⋅2H2O]⋅Na2CO3) at high temperatures. Heat exchanger tubes are scaled with this compound, which serious...

We present a method for analyzing the mechanical properties of solids, based on normal modes and their coupling to lattice strains. This method was used to study elastic compression and thermal expansion of zeolites, with parameters calculated from density functional theory. We find in general that the bulk modulus can be divided into two contributions: a positive term arising from compression ...

Mechanical strengthening by grain refinement is a method whereby a material’s strength and hardness can be increased by decreasing the average crystallite grain size. The empirical Hall–Petch relationship mathematically describes grain boundary strengthening and provides guidance for a straightforward way to produce stronger materials. While the phenomenon has been widely explored in nanocrysta...

Bulk nanocrystalline Ti bars (Grade 4, Φ4 × 3000 mm(3)) were massively fabricated by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) via follow-up conform scheme with the microcrystalline CP Ti as raw material. Homogeneous nanostructured crystals with the average grain size of 250 nm were identified for the ECAPed Ti, with extremely high tensile/fatigue strength (around 1240/620 MPa) and adorable elongat...

This manuscript describes a synthesis of nanocrystalline TiOF2 film. The nanocrystalline TiOF2 becomes chemically attached to the surface of the glass slide. These films are robust and can be recycled as photocatalysts for the degradation of organic dyes and solvents. These films also have significant antibacterial properties upon irradiation.