This article reviews the analytical methods for crystalline silica polymorphs and summarizes promising techniques for compliance with health-related regulations. X-ray diffraction analysis appears to be the most promising method of determining quartz and cristobalite content at this threshold in many bulk mineral and chemical systems. Other analytical techniques can be used in some mineral and ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a calcium silicate-based sealer (iRoot SP), with or without a core material, on bond strength to radicular dentin, in comparison with various contemporary root filling systems. Root canals of freshly extracted single-rooted teeth (n = 60) were instrumented using rotary instruments. The roots were randomly assigned to one of the following ex...

BACKGROUND Earthworms are an ecosystem's engineers, contributing to a wide range of nutrient cycling and geochemical processes in the ecosystem. Their activities can increase rates of silicate mineral weathering. Their intestinal microbes usually are thought to be one of the key drivers of mineral degradation mediated by earthworms,but the diversities of the intestinal microorganisms which were...

One of the most revolutionary materials introduced in Endodontics was the Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA). The investigations regarding MTA formulation allowed researchers to disclose the composition and also some clinical problems related to the clinical application of this material. The augmentation on MTA’s studies resulted in the development a new generation of Endodontic materials, the ca...

A modified diffused reflectance infrared Fourier transformed spectroscopy (DRIFTS) accessory was used to analyze the surface properties of alumino-silicate fibers. The modifications are simple and involve a different way of performing depth-profiling from traditional DRIFTS by removing approximately 2 mm of salt from a full cup prior to placing the sample in for depth profiling. This method pro...

The mineral fraipontite has been studied by using a combination of scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive analysis and vibrational spectroscopy (infrared and Raman). Fraipontite is a member of the 1:1 clay minerals of the kaolinite-serpentine group. The mineral contains Zn and Cu and is of formula (Cu,Zn,Al)₃(Si,Al)₂O₅(OH)₄. Qualitative chemical analysis of fraipontite shows an alu...

Mineral wools are the most common insulation materials in buildings worldwide. However, mineral wool waste is often considered unrecyclable because of its fibrous nature and low density. In this paper, rock wool (RW) and glass wool (GW) were studied as alkali-activated material precursors without any additional co-binders. Both mineral wools were pulverized by a vibratory disc mill in order to ...

The synthetic leucite silicate framework mineral analogues Rb2 XSi5O12 {X = Ni [dirubidium nickel(II) penta-silicate] and Mn [dirubidium manganese(II) penta-silicate]} have been prepared by high-temperature solid-state synthesis. The results of Rietveld refinements, using X-ray powder diffraction data collected using Cu Kα X-rays, show that the title compounds crystallize in the space group Pbc...

Silicate hydration is prevalent in natural and technological processes, such as, mineral weathering, glass alteration, zeolite syntheses and cement hydration. Tricalcium silicate (Ca3SiO5), the main constituent of Portland cement, is amongst the most reactive silicates in water. Despite its widespread industrial use, the reaction of Ca3SiO5 with water to form calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H) s...