Pure Raw Materials Research Articles

Chemical Composition and Microstructure Characterization of High Purity CuMn Alloy for Integrated Circuit

High purity copper and copper alloy targets are the key supporting materials for the interconnection of integrated circuits in advanced processes. In this article, the chemical composition and microstructure of Cu-0.6wt%Mn alloy were characterized by means of Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry, Inductive Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer, Optical Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope. The results show that the total impurity content for Cu-0.69wt%Mn alloy is less than 1 ppm. The three key impurities contents of Ag and Fe and Si could meet the requirement of electronic materials for integrated circuits by use of high purity raw material and appropriate melting and casting methods. Mn content at different positions along the diameter direction fluctuates slightly between 0.66~0.72 wt%, and completely distributed uniformly in the Cu matrix without any trace of aggregation. Due to the influence of raw materials and casting technology, defects such as porosity and carbon inclusion are easy to appear in as-cast microstructure. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new casting mould and casting processing to improve the quality of ingots.

Use of plant waste in the treatment of heavy metal polluted wastewater

Introduction. Anthropogenic pollution is one of the global environmental issues of the modern world. The main approach to solving this issue is the transition to a nature-like economy of a closed cycle where the waste of one production is not accumulated but used as raw material for the other production. The article considers the possibility of using three renewable large tonnage byproducts of agro-industrial complex: technical hemp hulls, wheat straw (carbonized), and buckwheat hulls (granulated) for the manufacture of heavy metal sorbents (biosorbents). Biosorbents made of ecologically pure natural raw materials can be used for treatment of surface wastewater of urban settlements and wastewater from the territory of mining enterprises from heavy metals. The purpose of this article is to estimate the efficiency of wastewater treatment of heavy metals (in particular, Al, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn).
 Materials and methods. The sorbents in this study were made from agro-industrial byproducts: hemp hulls (by-product of technical hemp processing); straw (dry wheat stalks from fields in Chelyabinsk Region, crushed and carbonized); granulated buckwheat hull. The sorbate was surface wastewater urbanized area from Chelyabinsk city and acid mine drainage from the Ural region mining enterprise. Laboratory studies of the interactions occurring in the sorbent-sorbate system were carried out using the limited volume method with static sorption, wherein the pollutants were in the liquid phase and brought into contact with a static sorbent and a dynamic test, wherein the pollutants in a mobile liquid phase were filtered through a layer of sorbent.
 Results. The structure and surface composition of agro-industrial wastes such as hemp hulls, carbonized straw, and granulated buckwheat hulls (biosorbents) were studied. The obtained data confirmed the ecological safety of the studied materials. The main chemical elements in their composition are carbon, oxygen, potassium. The efficiency of sorption by the biosorbents in removing heavy metals from urban surface wastewater and mining-influenced water was determined.
 The research data showed that under static conditions, buckwheat hulls best absorb pollutants from urban surface wastewater, removing copper, iron, lead, and zinc ions from surface wastewater with 100 % efficiency. With the increase of temperature from 0 °C to 10–20 °C, the efficiency of purification also increases. An exception is the process of copper ions sorption, where the maximum efficiency is achieved at 0 °C with minimum sorbent contact time.
 Under dynamic conditions, it is more effective to use hemp hulls, also showing its efficiency in removing pollutants from acid mine drainage — 100 % of aluminum, copper, and lead ions were removed.
 Conclusions. The obtained results show that the examined agro-industrial byproducts are ecologically safe and effective sorption materials and allow extracting heavy metals (aluminum, copper, iron, lead, zinc) from urban surface and mining enterprises runoff.

Pharmaceutical Standardisation and Physicochemical Analysis of Krimighatini Vati

Standardization is the process for the establishment of standard for a particular or drug. Standardization in Ayurvedic formulation mainly deals with ensuring standards for the quality and purity of raw materials, quality control during the drug manufacturing process, production of a good quality finished product and storage and distribution to maintain the quality of the final product. Standard of an Ayurvedic product can be assessed only by analyzing the analytical parameters of raw drugs, drugs after preprocessing and the finished products. Krimighatini vati explained in Rasendra chintamani is an antihelminth preparation explained in Rasendra Chintamani krimirogadhikara. It contains Parada- 1part, Gandhaka- 2 parts, Ajamoda -3 parts, Vidanga bheeja- 4 parts, Palaasha bheeja- 5parts, and Kaarsakara beeja- 6 parts. It is similar to Krimimudgara rasa that is available in market but differs in proportion of Palaasha beeja and Karaskara beeja. Present study aims to standardize Krimighatini vati after preparing the medicine according to the method explained in Ayurveda samhithas. Preprocessing of the Gulika includes, Shodhana of Hingula, Gandhaka and Karaskara beeja according to the methods mentioned in Rasasastra books. Parada was extracted from Hingula by Ordhwapaathana vidhi. It was then triturated with Shuddha Gandhaka to get Kajjali. Fine powders of other drugs were mixed with Kajjali and rolled into pills with Honey. Study observed the physicochemical parameters of individual drugs and validated the Gulika by HPTLC method. Analysis of Kajjali was done using XRD so as to prove the complete formation of Kajjali. Pharmaceutical standardization helps in reproducibility of drug paving way for more studies on toxicity and efficacy of drug.

Development of a novel, automated, robotic system for rapid, high-throughput, parallel, solid-phase peptide synthesis.

The development of peptide-based pharmaceutics is a hot topic in the pharmaceutical industry and in basic research. However, from the research and development perspective there is an unmet need for new, alternative, solid-phase peptide synthesizers that are highly efficient, automated, robust, able to synthetize peptides in parallel, inexpensive (to obtain and operate), have potential to be scaled up, and even comply with the principles of green chemistry. Moreover, a peptide synthesizer of this type could also fill the gap in university research, and therefore speed the advancement of peptide-based pharmaceutical options. This paper presents a Tecan add-on peptide synthesizer (TaPSy), which has operational flexibility (coupling time: 15-30 min), can handle all manual synthesis methods, and is economical (solvent use: 34.5 mL/cycle, while handling 0.49 mmol scale/reactor, even with ≤3 equivalents of activated amino acid derivatives). Moreover, it can carry out parallel synthesis of up to 12 different peptides (0.49 mmol scale in each). TaPSy uses no heating or high pressure, while it is still resistant to external influences (operating conditions: atmospheric pressure, room temperature 20-40 ˚C, including high [>70%] relative humidity). The system's solvent can also be switched from DMF to a green and biorenewable solvent, γ-valerolactone (GVL), without further adjustment. The designed TaPSy system can produce peptides with high purity (>70%), even with the green GVL solvent alternative. In this paper we demonstrate the optimization path of a newly developed peptide synthesizer in the context of coupling reagents, reaction time and reagent equivalents applying for a synthesis of a model peptide. We compare the results by analytical characteristics (purity of raw material, crude yield, yield) and calculated overall cost of the syntheses of one mg of crude peptide using a specified set of reaction conditions.

Analisis Pengendalian Persediaan Bahan Baku Pada CV. Yan Utama

Abstract Control over the supply of raw materials is a must for every company that aims to avoid misuse in the form of fraud or waste, because in the business world problems often occur in carrying out production. The purpose of this study are as follows (1) to determine the raw material inventory control applied to CV. Yan Utama Corporation, (2) to determine the number of orders for CV raw material supplies. Yan Utama Corporation on economical order quantities. This research is a qualitative descriptive research, the location of this research is at CV. Main Yan Company Sidobakti street, Paregi Purwodadi Village. This research technique by way of observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis was carried out using a tabular approach and a formula approach. The result of this research is CV. Yan Utama controls the supply of pure chemical raw materials using the EOQ method. The number of orders for raw material inventory CV. Yan Utama on the EOQ is 2,936 kg of raw materials which can be ordered every time an order is placed. The frequency of purchasing raw materials in CV. Yan Utama when using the EOQ method which should or is more efficient is 7 times the purchase of raw materials in one period (1 year), while new orders are made by CV. Main Yan is 24 times a year. So that with this evaluation, the time to order raw materials can be more considered with an interval of every 51 days when ordering pure chemical raw materials. Keywords: Inventory Control, Inventory Orders, Raw Materials.

Cobalt-containing diopside pigments based on granulated blast furnace slag

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to the low-temperature synthesis of cobalt-containing diopside pigments based on granulated blast furnace slag and to study the characteristics of the mineral formation processes, changes in the structure and colour indices.Design/methodology/approachSynthesis of cobalt-containing diopside pigments based was carried out by the directional formation of the mineralogical composition with the introduction of part of the components using granulated blast-furnace slag.FindingsIt has been established that the formation of the diopside phase in pigments containing blast-furnace slag as the main component proceeds at low temperatures (1,100°C–1,150 °C). The colour of diopside pigments is formed because of the isomorphic substitution of Si4+ ions for Al3+ ions and Mg2+ ions for Co2+ ions. It is expedient to add CoO in an amount of 0.9 mol (18 Wt.%) into the composition of diopside pigments based on blast-furnace slag to obtain defect-free violet glazes.Practical implicationsThe developed diopside pigments enable obtaining of high-quality violet glazes for ceramics. The application of the obtained results can significantly reduce the consumption of traditional raw materials in the composition of silicate ceramic pigments, as well as reduce their firing temperature.Originality/valueCalcium, magnesium and silicon oxides are the main components of blast-furnace slag. In addition, granulated blast furnace slag is mainly represented by the glassy phase, which determines its high activity during the firing process. These factors are prerequisites for using the blast-furnace slag as a valuable substitute for chemically pure or natural raw materials in silicate pigments and reducing their firing temperature.

Energy and emission properties of burley tobacco stalk briquettes and its combinations with other biomass as promising replacement for coal.

As a tobacco producer, Serbia has to deal with large amounts of leftover tobacco stalks after harvesting. One option for this type of biomass is to burn it, but burning is not encouraged in Serbia, since the levels of its combustion products have not been investigated yet. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the elemental composition, ash and nicotine content, heat values, and composition of gaseous combustion products of tobacco stalk briquettes and to see if their mixing with other types of biomass available in Serbia could improve their ecological profile. We made 11 different types of briquettes: six of pure raw materials, including burley tobacco stalks, sunflower head remains, wheat straw, corncob, soy straw, and beech sawdust and five by mixing tobacco stalks with these other raw materials in a 50:50 mass ratio. All briquettes meet the ecological criteria regarding the emission limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Nicotine content in flue gases (<10 mg/kg) is far below the maximum level allowed by the European Union. Heat values of all biomass samples are acceptable, although lower than those specified for solid biofuels (≥16.0 MJ/kg), save for corncob and beech sawdust and their mixtures with tobacco stalks. Our findings therefore encourage the use of tobacco stalks as a viable biofuel.

STUDY OF TECHNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF OBTAINING CELSIANE AND SLAWSONITE CERAMICS USING SINGLE-STAGE TECHNOLOGY

On the basis of the RO–Al2O3–SiO2 system, radiotransparent ceramic materials of cordierite, celsian, and anorthite composition, which have low dielectric characteristics, are obtained. These requirements are met by one of the main phases of the BaO–Al2O3–SiO2 system – celsian (BaAl2Si2O8), the melting point of which is 1740 °C, and the beginning of active phase formation occurs at a processing temperature of 1300 °C, as well as one of the main phases of the SrO–Al2O3–SiO2 is slavsonite (SrAl2Si2O8), which undergoes congruent melting at a temperature of 1765 °C, and the beginning of active phase formation occurs at a processing temperature of 1400 °C. The purpose of the work is to study the technological parameters of obtaining celsian and slavsonite ceramics by one-stage technology. According to the subsolidus structure of the three-component system RO–Al2O3–SiO2 (RO = ВаО, SrO), it is advisable to synthesize the necessary phases from pure raw materials and, taking into account the presence of impurities that impair the dielectric characteristics, the synthesis of the necessary crystalline phases is carried out from technical raw materials. Figurative points of the compositions of the selected compounds correspond to their stoichiometric composition (for slavsonite, wt. %: SrO – 31,99; Al2O3 – 30,93; SiO2 – 37,08; for celsian, wt. %: BaO – 40,85; Al2O3 – 27,17; SiO2 – 31,98). It was established that the physical characteristics of the obtained samples improve with an increase in the firing temperature by 100 °C, but they are far from the desired level. The dielectric characteristics of the obtained materials are within the requirements for radio-transparent materials. Taking into account the investigated physical properties and the obtained radiographs of fired samples in order to obtain a densely sintered material, it was decided to investigate model compositions with the addition of intensifying additives and to study their influence on the properties of fired samples

Assessment of Gold-Bearing Quartz Vein as a Potential High-Purity Quartz Resource: Evidence from Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Technological Purification

High-purity quartz (HPQ) is an important material widely used in many high-tech industries. It is a product processed from pure natural quartz raw materials, so selecting suitable quartz raw material is the key to successfully processing HPQ. Hydrothermal quartz vein is one of the most likely raw materials to be purified into HPQ because of its high SiO2 content. This study focuses on the evaluation of HPQ raw material potential of the two gold-bearing quartz vein tailing resources in Chibougamau (CBG) and Tianjingshan (TJS). Petrography and the contents of impurity elements in the two vein quartz samples before and after processing were studied by optical microscope, SEM, Raman spectrometry, XRD, LA-ICP-MS, and bulk solution ICP-OES. Petrographic results reveal that major impurities in quartz are feldspar, mica, iron compounds, ankerite, rutile, silicate melt, and fluid inclusions. LA-ICP-MS analysis result shows that the SiO2 contents are between 99.953–99.971 wt.% in CBG raw quartz and 99.969–99.976 wt.% in TJS raw quartz, respectively, with very low contents of impurity elements, except for Ca. Bulk solution ICP-OES analysis demonstrates that the CBG processed quartz sand has total impurity contents of 56.8 µg·g−1, with 13.1 µg·g−1 Al and 6.6 µg·g−1 Ti, and the TJS processed quartz sand has the total impurity contents of 85.2 µg·g−1 with 29.4 µg·g−1 Al and 6.1 µg·g−1 Ti. Both the contents of Al and Ti fit with the lattice-bound criteria for HPQ. These results, for most of the impurities, are likely hosted by silicate melt, fluid, and mineral inclusions, indicating that these two hydrothermal raw vein quartz samples can be upgraded to HPQ after processing by more advanced methods. Therefore, the CBG and TJS quartz vein deposits would be considered as potential future resources for HPQ to realize efficient recovery and utilization of tailings resources and to improve mine economic benefits.

Twin hot-wire arc welding additive manufacturing deposition of high tungsten Stellite-6 hard-facing coating: Processing, microstructure and wear properties

In order to gain the advantages of excellent wear properties of hard-facing stellite-6 alloy, a single layer of high tungsten Stellite-6 coating was deposited onto St37 and Mo40 steel substrates using a twin hot-wire arc welding additive manufacturing process. The wire rods used were initially manufactured by a powder metallurgy route (ball milling + spark plasma sintering + extrusion) from pure raw materials. A comparative study was carried out in terms of microstructure, phase composition, hardness and wear resistance. Stellite-6 coatings were found to be metallurgically well-bonded to both substrates with proper penetration and no cracks or pores. The dendritic microstructure of Stellite-6 coating deposited on St37 substrate (S6–1) was finer with higher percentage of eutectic structure (35.3 %), higher concentration of Tungsten (W) and less amount of Iron (Fe). Consequently, S6–1 coating showed higher hardness and wear resistance due to the finer dendritic size, more and uniform distribution of Chromium (Cr-) and W-rich carbides in inter-dendritic areas and less Fe dilution.

Investigation of the hydration process and biological activity of a novel nanosilver incorporated dicalcium silicate based retrograde filling material.

Although several materials have been used for retrograde filling following apical surgeries, there is no consensus on a single best material. Tricalcium silicate-based types of cement have been developed as root-end filling materials mainly due to tricalcium silicate's hydraulic properties. However, its unfavorable setting characteristics and minimal antimicrobial properties have necessitated the introduction of new additives into the existing commercially available materials. To design an affordable product based on a dicalcium silicate with a shorter set time, minimal cytotoxic complications, and enhanced antibacterial activity, we developed a new endodontic cement from pure raw materials, intending to satisfy the prerequisites of ideal retrograde material. The composition of the experimental calcium silicate-based cement included the addition of calcium chloride and silver nanoparticles in varying concentrations. Structural characterization was carried out using energy dispersive analysis by X-rays using scanning electron microscope (EDAX SEM) and hydration characteristics were performed using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The experimental material was further evaluated for biocompatibility using MTT ([3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide)assay and antibacterial activity was evaluated using an agar diffusion test against Enterococcus faecalis. The structural characterization and hydration characteristics revealed that the experimental cement was dicalcium silicate based with favorable biocompatibility and enhanced antibacterial activity. Tricalcium silicate based mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) also had favourable biocompatibility, however, its antibacterial activity was significantly decreased when compared to the novel cement. All hydraulic cements that are available in the dental market are predominantly tricalcium silicate-based materials. There has been no evidence in the literature to date wherein it has been explored whether a dicalcium silicate-based hydraulic cement can solely be used in root-end cavities. The findings of the study revealed a dicalcium silicate based retrograde filling material with favourable biocompatibility exhibited immediately as well as in the set samples. Incorporation of silver nanoparticles boosted the antibacterial activity when compared to that of ProRoot MTA. This material could potentially reinstate the usual hype created with tricalcium silicate types of cement since dicalcium silicate cements also exhibit similar properties.

Neural Network-based Optimization of Silybum Marianum Extract-loaded Chitosan Particles: Modeling, Preparation and Antioxidant Evaluation.

Silymarin is a flavonolignan extracted from Silybum marianum with various therapeutic applications. Many studies have focused on improving the bioavailability of silymarin due to its wide range of efficacy and low bioavailability. Chitosan, a naturally occurring polymeric substance, has a strong reputation for increasing the solubility of poorly soluble compounds. This study used artificial neural networks (ANNs) to measure the effects of pH, chitosan to silymarin ratio, chitosan to tripolyphosphate ratio, and stirring time on the loading efficiency of silymarin into chitosan particles. A model was developed to investigate the interactions between input factors and silymarin loading efficiency. The DPPH method was utilized to determine the antioxidant activity of an optimized formula and pure raw materials. According to the outcome of the ANN model, pH and the chitosan to silymarin ratio demonstrated significant effects on loading efficiency. In addition, increased stirring time decreased silymarin loading, whereas the chitosan-to-tripolyphosphate ratio showed a negligible effect on loading efficiency. Maximum loading efficiency occurred at a pH of approximately~5. Moreover, silymarin- loaded chitosan particles with a lower IC50 value (36.17 ± 0.02 ppm) than pure silymarin (165.04 ± 0.07 ppm) demonstrated greater antioxidant activity.

Solid State Processing of BCZT Piezoceramics Using Ultra Low Synthesis and Sintering Temperatures.

Lead-free (Ba0.92Ca0.08) (Ti0.95 Zr0.05) O3 (BCZT) ceramics were prepared by a solid-state route (SSR) using ultra-low synthesis (700 °C/30 min and 700 °C/2 h) and sintering temperatures (from 1150 °C to 1280 °C), due to prior activation and homogenization by attrition milling of the starting high purity raw materials for 6 h before the synthesis and of the calcined powders for 3 h before the sintering. The comparison of the thermal analysis of the mixture of the starting raw materials and the same mixture after 6 h attrition milling allowed to evidence the mechanisms of activation, resulting in a significant decrease of the perovskite formation temperature (from 854 °C down to 582 °C). The secondary phases that limit the functional properties of the ceramic and their evolution with the sintering conditions were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which allowed the design of a two-step sintering method to eliminate them. A pure tetragonal BCZT perovskite phase (P4mm, c/a = 1.004) and homogeneous ceramic microstructure was obtained for synthesis at 700 °C for 2 h and sintering with the use of a two-step sintering treatment (900 °C for 3 h and 1280 °C for 6 h). The best electromechanical properties achieved were d33 = 455 pC/N, kp = 35%, Qm = 155.

Synthesis and Characterization of Ni2O3 as a Phase of Nickel Oxide Nanomaterial

Ni2O3 nanomaterial, a phase of nickel oxide, is synthesized by a simple chemical process. The pure raw materials used in the present process were nickel chloride hexahydrate NiCl2.6H2O and potassium hydroxide KOH by utilizing temperature at 250 oC for 2 hour. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the synthesized specimens of Ni2O3 were investigated employing diverse techniques such as XRD, AFM, SEM and UV-Vis, respectively. The XRD technique confirms the presence of Ni2O3 nanomaterial with crystal size of 57.083 nm which indexing to the (2θ) of 31.82; this results revealed the Ni2O3 was a phase of nickel oxide with Nano structure. The synthesized Ni2O3 will be useful in manufacturng electrodes materials for fuel cell and production catalytic materials for electrolysis cell.

Study on Purification Technology of Silicon Carbide Crystal Growth Powder.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor material, and its preparation process has strict requirements on the purity of raw materials. A self-developed medium-frequency induction heating furnace was used to carry out powder heat treatment and purification experiments on SiC powder to improve the purity of the powder. Samples with 3.5N purity were analyzed using XRD and GDMS characterization methods. It was found that under conditions of high-temperature (2200 °C) and long-time (50 h) processing, the impurity removal effect was quite good, but the powder loss was as high as 53.42%. The powder loss during the low-temperature (less than 2050 °C) and short-time process was less than 1.5%, but the purification effect was not substantial. After a prolonged processing time, the purification effect of low-temperature heat treatment conditions was improved, but the powder loss was also increased to 30%. In contrast, segmented purification processing at a low temperature in the early stage and a high temperature in the later stage achieved a good purification effect. On the premise of maintaining the utilization rate of raw materials, a 5N-purity SiC source was successfully prepared. The test results show that the contents of free Si, free C and free oxygen impurities were reduced to less than 0.01%, and the contents of Al, B, Fe, Mg, Na, Ti and other impurities were less than 1.15 ppm, which is close to the ppb level.

Predicting optimal dispersant (superplasticiser) content for cement–limestone pastes from rheological tests

Currently, one of the most important trends in concrete technology is the use of inert fine particles (fillers) to decrease cement content, increase packing in the paste and increase flowability, with gains in technological, environmental and cost aspects. The advance in dispersion technology (using superplasticisers) is one of the technical issues that allows pastes to be mixed without the expected increase of water content – which decreases compressive strength – caused by the filler's high surface area. However, the use of no more than the optimal dispersant (superplasticiser) content (lowest content that provides the lowest viscosity) is crucial owing to cost constraints. This paper evaluates the possibility of predicting optimal dispersant content in cement–limestone filler systems from the optimal dispersant content previously measured in the pure raw materials. Owing to the need for only a few sets of tests, this can optimise the design timing and accuracy of efficient pastes for lower binder concretes.

Effects of Nb microalloying on the magnetic properties and microstructure of Fe-Si-B-P-Cu-Nb nanocrystalline alloys prepared with pure and industrial raw materials

Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys with high saturation magnetic flux density (Bs) and low coercivity (Hc) are highly desirable, especially if they can be prepared with industrial raw materials (IRMs). Here, Fe82.3Si4B9P4Cu0.7 and Fe82.3Si4B9P3Cu0.7Nb1 nanocrystalline ribbons were prepared with IRMs and pure raw materials (PRMs). It was found that Nb microalloying broadens the annealing process window of the ribbons due to the suppressed precipitation of Fe(B, P) phase. In addition, the soft magnetic properties of the Fe82.3Si4B9P3Cu0.7Nb1 ribbons prepared with IRMs are insensitive to impurities and surface-crystallized layer. Compared to the PRMs-prepared ribbons, the IRMs increase the Hc of the Nb-free ribbons, whereas having little effect on the Hc of the Nb-doped ribbons with dendritic-crystallites in the surface layer. These results originate from the former forming coarse α-Fe grains and narrow magnetic domains, while the latter mainly forming fine α-Fe grains and broad magnetic domains. This work provides a valuable reference for the development and industrialization of nanocrystalline alloys with high Bs and low Hc.

Evaluation of the polymorphic forms of ritonavir and lopinavir in raw materials and co-milled systems

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first oral antiviral drug to treat mild to moderate cases of coronavirus disease. The combination of nirmatrelvir with an already used protease inhibitor class drug, ritonavir, has led to Paxlovid®. Several studies considered drug repositioning as the first trial for new drugs. The precise identification and quantification of polymorphs in raw materials and finished products are important to researchers involved in pharmaceutical development and quality control processes. In this work, we study the solid-state behavior of the antiretroviral drugs ritonavir and lopinavir in raw materials and in milled compositions. The results indicate that mixtures of ritonavir Forms I and II are found in different batches of raw materials from the same manufacturer; besides three equal crystalline samples, an amorphous batch was found in lopinavir. Furthermore, the milling process of the already amorphous lopinavir seems to facilitate the amorphization of ritonavir as well as the production of some unexpected crystalline forms of ritonavir. A phase transition of ritonavir Form I to Form II is only observed when co-milling with amorphous lopinavir. These findings reveal significant variations in phase purity of raw materials that affect the processing and solid-state properties, representing risks for the product quality.

(Invited) Analytical Solutions for Quality Assurance across the Battery Manufacturing Process

Battery performance degradation and potentially dangerous incidents such as thermal runaway and fire can originate from defects in lithium battery components or during cell assembly. Therefore, quality assurance is extremely important aspect of the manufacturing process to identify and eliminate defects that may give rise to cell failure and dangerous incidents. From validating raw material purity and monitoring electrode thickness, to inspection of component alignment and integrity during assembly, different analytical capabilities are used to ensure quality is maintained through battery manufacturing workflow. In this presentation examples of using in-line and off-line analytical characterization techniques, such as in-line basis weight and thickness measurement systems and electron microscopes, to monitor the quality during battery manufacturing process will be discussed. Advances in in-line and off-line metrology and quality control tools are an important enabler for solving the current challenges and facilitating future growth in electric propulsion and energy storage technologies.

A systematic investigation on the effect of purity of raw material, crucible and crucible design on the single crystal growth of undoped and Eu doped SrI2

We report a systematic study on the growth of pure and Eu doped SrI2 single crystals by Bridgman technique. The effect of various parameters pertaining to the impurity in raw material as well as in crucibles on the quality of the grown crystal has been experimentally checked and documented. Further we have also studied that nucleation behavior changes with selection of crucibles design. We have established that high purity raw material and OH free high pure fused quartz crucible enables the growth of good quality single crystal of pure SrI2 and lower concentration of Eu doped SrI2 without putting much effort in designing of crucible or furnace. For higher concentration of Eu doped SrI2 single crystal growth, modification in crucible design is required to grow good quality single crystals. We believe that this work will guide young researchers struggling in growth of good quality single crystals of similar alkali halide scintillators.