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The starting temperature for SiC synthesis from elemental silicon, carbon black, and graphite powders was determined for pressures ranging from 0.8 to 11 GPa by in situ X-ray diffraction experiments. The synthesized SiC corresponds to the cubic 3C phase with the presence of stacking faults along the [111] direction. The lowest density of the stacking faults is achieved when black carbon is used instead of graphite. The minimum temperature to start the Si + C → SiC reaction slightly decreases when the pressure is increased up to 6 GPa and the reaction begins before silicon melts. For pressures higher than 8 GPa, the starting temperature increases, and the formation of SiC from the SiII phase requires the complete melting of silicon. Bulk modulus Bo = 236(14) GPa was obtained for the synthesized SiC phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle‐induced X‐ray emission (PIXE), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), electron microprobe analysis (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analytical techniques were used to characterize surface paints in pre‐ and post‐fired Aguada Portezuelo decorated pottery. Surface paintings in black, white, red, brown, burgundy and ochre were analysed. Major, minor and trace elements were detected by PIXE, whereas XRD and SEM‐EDS gave information on the main mineral phases and the characteristic morphology for each analysed pigment. The results obtained indicate that the main colour groups can be easily discriminated by PIXE, and they are characterized by only one pigment for each colour: hematite (red) and manganese mineral oxides (black), respectively, whereas white pigments are characterized by calcite, ghelenite and gypsum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyapatite (HA), beta-tricalcium phosphate and bioactive glasses are commonly used as reabsorbable biomaterials, mainly in orthopaedics and dentistry. The performance of each material depends on many factors, in particular, on their chemical and phase composition, microstructure, granule size and pore volume. For this reason, it is important to have a full characterization that allows correlating these properties with the material biological behaviour. In this work, three commercial samples of materials currently used in dentistry as bone substitutes were characterized. Granules corresponding to bovine and synthetic HA and bioactive glass 45S5 type were studied by scanning electron microscopy, conventional and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The specific surface area was also obtained by the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller method. We observed that Ca/P molar ratios for both HAs are higher than the value corresponding to the stoichiometric HA. The coherent domain obtained for the bovine HA is larger along the c axis crystal direction, and it is around 15 times lower than the value corresponding to the synthetic HA. The specific surface area for the bovine HA is one of the highest values reported in literature. Low amounts of crystalline CaO were observed only for the synthetic HA sample. Crystalline combeite and wollastonite were detected for the bioactive glass sample and quantified by using rutile as internal standard. The relation between the physico-chemical characterization performed in this work and the potential biological response of the materials is discussed in terms of the information available in literature. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: High-resolution Kβ emission spectra of several manganese compounds were measured in order to characterize the dependence of the Kβ′ and Kβ1,3 features, on the chemical environment. High resolution spectra were obtained using a non-conventional spectrometer based on quasi-back-diffraction geometry at National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). It was found that the energy of the Kβ′ satellite structure relative to the main Kβ1,3 line decreases linearly with the formal oxidation state for Mn–O systems. A noticeable dispersion of the relative Kβ′ energy for different Mn2+ compounds could be observed. The dependence of the Kβ′ satellite line on the net charge and the effective 3d spin in Mn2+ compounds was investigated. Calculations of the net charge and the effective 3d spin were performed within the density-functional theory using the package SIESTA. A direct relation between this dispersion and the effective Mn 3d spin was found. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The enamel surfaces of fluorotic teeth were studied by scanning electron stereomicroscopy. Different whitening treatments were applied to 25 pieces to remove stains caused by fluorosis and their surfaces were characterized by stereomicroscopy in order to obtain functional and amplitude parameters. The topographic features resulting for each treatment were determined through these parameters. The results obtained show that the 3D reconstruction achieved from the SEM stereo pairs is a valuable potential alternative for the surface characterization of this kind of samples., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ion-beam cancer therapy is a promising technique to treat deep-seated tumors; however, for an accurate treatment planning, the energy deposition by the ions must be well known both in soft and hard human tissues. Although the energy loss of ions in water and other organic and biological materials is fairly well known, scarce information is available for the hard tissues (i.e., bone), for which the current stopping power information relies on the application of simple additivity rules to atomic data. Especially, more knowledge is needed for the main constituent of human bone, calcium hydroxyapatite (HAp), which constitutes 58% of its mass composition. In this work the energy loss of H and He ion beams in HAp films has been obtained experimentally. The experiments have been performed using the Rutherford backscattering technique in an energy range of 450-2000 keV for H and 400-5000 keV for He ions. These measurements are used as a benchmark for theoretical calculations (stopping power and mean excitation energy) based on the dielectric formalism together with the MELF-GOS (Mermin energy loss function-generalized oscillator strength) method to describe the electronic excitation spectrum of HAp. The stopping power calculations are in good agreement with the experiments. Even though these experimental data are obtained for low projectile energies compared with the ones used in hadron therapy, they validate the mean excitation energy obtained theoretically, which is the fundamental quantity to accurately assess energy deposition and depth-dose curves of ion beams at clinically relevant high energies. The effect of the mean excitation energy choice on the depth-dose profile is discussed on the basis of detailed simulations. Finally, implications of the present work on the energy loss of charged particles in human cortical bone are remarked.

Pharmaceuticals can exist in many solid forms, which can have different physical and chemical properties. These solid forms include polymorphs, solvates, amorphous, and hydrates. Particularly, hydration process can be quite common since pharmaceutical solids can be in contact with water during manufacturing process and can also be exposed to water during storage. In the present work, it is proved that NQR technique is capable of detecting different hydrated forms not only in the pure raw material but also in the final product (tablets), being in this way a useful technique for quality control. This technique was also used to study the dehydration process from pentahydrate to trihydrate.