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Abstract: The control of the inter-particle porosity in polycrystalline zeolite bodies remains a challenge. The present study reports on the preparation of centimeter-sized zeolite bodies (32×2mm pellets) with reduced inter-particle porosity. The bodies were prepared by assembling zeolite colloidal nanocrystals with monomodal particle size distribution and sub-colloidal aluminum hydroxide binder. A secondary growth treatment under hydrothermal conditions was performed in order to fill up the inter-particle voids and obtain polycrystalline zeolite materials with textural characteristics close to those of single zeolite crystals. Initial material, intermediates and ultimate product were studied with a combination of complementary methods revealing a substantial reduction even an elimination of the inter-particle porosity. Particular attention was paid to the chemical evolution of the binder and the migration of aluminum species, employing X-ray powder diffraction, 27Al-MAS, 27Al-3QMAS NMR and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy analyses. Evidences for insertion of aluminum from the binder into the zeolite framework during secondary growth step were found. Consequently the ultimate pellets comprised aluminum-rich zeolite beta crystals and very low binder content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this work is to improve the knowledge of the shock-to-detonation transition of nitromethane. The study is based on a spectral analysis in the range 0.3–0.85 μm, with a 28-nm resolution, during experiments of plane shock impacts on explosive targets at 8.6 GPa. The time-resolved radiant spectra show that the detonation front, the reaction products produced during the superdetonation, and the detonation products are semitransparent. The temperature and absorption coefficient profiles are determined from the measured spectra by a mathematical inversion method based on the equation of radiative transfer with Rayleigh scattering regime. Shocked nitromethane reaches at least 2500 K, showing the existence of local chemical reactions after shock entrance. Levels of temperature of superdetonation and steady-state detonation are also determined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]