The Mg-enriched magnesium aluminum silicate (MAS) glass is known for its higher mechanical strength and chemical resistance. Among such glasses, cordierite (Mg2Al4Si5O18) is well known to have a low thermal expansion and low melting point. Polycrystalline engineering ceramics such as alumina can be strengthened by a surface modification with low thermal expansion materials. The present study involves the synthesis of cordierite by a sol-gel process and investigates the effect of glass penetration on the surface of alumina. The cordierite powders were prepared from Al(OC3H7)3, Mg(OC2H5)2 and tetraethyl orthosilicate by hydrolysis and condensation reaction. The cordierite powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, Rigaku), scanning electron microscope (SEM, JEOL: JSM-5610), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, JEOL: JSM-5610), and universal testing machine (UTM, INSTRON). The X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the synthesized particles were μ-cordierite calcined at 1100˚C for 1 h. The shape of synthesized cordierite was changed from μ-cordierite to α-cordierite with increasing calcination temperature. Synthesized cordierite was used for surface modification of alumina. Cordierite powders penetrated deeply into the alumina sample along grain boundaries with increasing temperature. The results of surface modification tests showed that the strength of the prepared alumina sample increased after surface modification. The strength of a surface modified with synthesized cordierite increased the most, to about 134.6MPa.

Solid-state processing via the bulk mechanical alloying enables us to directly fabricate Mg2X semi-conductive material performs. Precise control of chemical composition leads to investigation on the dilution and enrichment of X in Mg2X. Two types of solid-state reactivity are introduced: e.g. synthesis of Mg2Si from elemental mixture Mg – Si is nucleation-controlled process while synthesis of Mg2Sn from Mg – Sn, diffusion-controlled process. Thermoelectricity of these Mg2X is evaluated for discussion on the validity and effectiveness of this new PM route as a reliable tool for fabrication of thermoelectric compounds.

Mg2SiO4 열형광체에 란탄계 금속 Tb, Tm, La, Ho, Dy 및 Nd를 활성체로 첨가하여 열형광체를 제작했으며, Peak shape법으로 활성화에너지를 계산한 결과 0.53-1.77eV였으며, 발광과정의 차수는 전부 2차였다. 저 에너지 X-선에 대해 매우 높은 감도를 나타내었으므로 방사선 센서 소자로 개발하기 위한 기초 자료가 될 것이다.

토도로카이트(todorokite)는 3 × 3 망간 팔면체로 이루어진 상대적으로 큰 나노공극(nanopore)을 가지는 터널구조의 산화망간광물로 나노공극에 다양한 양이온 함유가 가능하기 때문에 금속이온 거동에 큰 역할을 할 수 있다. 주로 결정도가 낮고 다른 산화망간광물들과 함께 집합체로 발견되어 나노공극 내부 양이온의 배위(coordination)구조는 실험만으로 여전히 규명하기 매우 어렵다. 이번 논문에서는 고전분자동력학(classical molecular dynamics, MD) 시뮬레이션을 이용하여 토도로카이트 터널에 함유된 Mg2+ 이온의 배위구조에 대한 연구결과를 처음으로 소개한다. 기존 실험에서는 토도로카이트 내부에 함유된 Mg2+가 공극의 중앙에 우세하게 자리한다고 알려져 있다. MD 시뮬레이션 결과, Mg2+ 이온의 약 60 %가 나노공극의 중앙에 위치하지만, 약 40 %의 Mg2+는 광물의 표면에 해당하는 공극의 코너에 위치하였다. 공극 중앙의 Mg2+는 수용액에서처럼 물 분자와 6배위수를 보였다. 공극 코너의 Mg2+ 역시 6배위수를 보였는데, 물 분자 이외에도 망간 팔면체 표면 산소와 배위를 보였다. Mg2+ 이온의 동적 거동을 파악하기 위해 계산한 평균 제곱 변위(mean squared displacement) 결과에서는, 수용액 벌크(bulk) 상태에서 갖는 물 분자와 양이온의 동적 성질이 토도로카이트 1D 나노공극에서는 유지되지 못하고 잃어버리는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

In this study, zeolite (Z-C1) was synthesized using a fusion/hydrothermal method from coal fly ash. The morphological structures of Z-C1 were confirmed to be highly crystalline with a cubic crystal structure. Exchange capacities of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions in a single and a mixed solution reached equilibrium within 120 min. The exchange kinetics of these ions were well predicted by the pseudo-second-order rate equation. The exchange isotherms of the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions matched the Langmuir isotherm better than the Freundlich isotherm. The maximum cation exchange capacities (qm) obtained by the Langmuir isotherm model were 2.11 mmol/g (84.52 mg/L) and 1.13 mmol/g (27.39 mg/L) for the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions, respectively.

The adsorption of lithium ion onto zeolite was investigated depending on contact time, initial concentration, cation forms, pH, and adsorption isotherms by employing batch adsorption experiment. The zeolite was converted into different forms such K+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Al3+. The zeolite had the higher adsorption capacity of lithium ion in K+ form followed by Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Al3+ forms, which was in accordance with their elctronegativities. The lithium ion adsorption was explained using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption isotherms and kinetic models. Adsorption rate of lithium ion by zeolite modified in K+ form was controlled by pseudo-second-order and particle diffusion kinetic models. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained from Langmuir isotherm was 17.0 mg/g for zeolite modified in K+ form. The solution pH influenced significantly the lithium ions adsorption capacity and best results were obtained at pH 5-10.