Rare Earth Research Articles

Electrodeposited NiFeCo + Tb and Dy for enhanced magnetostrictive properties and soft magnetism

Magnetostrictive thin films have numerous applications in communications, sensors, and microelectronic devices. Such devices usually require magnetostrictive thin films with large magnetostriction and soft magnetic properties. Nickel-Iron-Cobalt (NiFeCo) alloys have excellent soft magnetic properties and can be easily fabricated as thin films. However, their main drawback for these sensing applications is that they have very low magnetostriction. On the other hand, Iron-Rare Earth (RE) alloys such as Fe-Tb-Dy or Fe-Ga have large magnetostriction at the cost of some soft magnetic properties. Moreover, their magnetostrictive properties are degraded when reduced to thin films as opposed to bulk materials due to structural imperfections and oxidation of the REs. In this paper, we report the development of NiFeCo thin films with incorporated rare earth elements prepared via electrodeposition. Electrochemical cells were prepared using Ni, Fe, and Co sulfate salts. Tb and Dy sulfates were added to the electrochemical cell in order of increasing concentration. Electrodeposition was then carried out under galvanostatic control for each RE concentration in the bath. The produced films were analyzed for composition, crystallinity, and magnetic properties to draw out trends based on the initial concentrations of rare earth salts in the bath. The produced thin films retained soft magnetic properties while exhibiting giant magnetostriction of up to ∼370 ppm depending on the type and amount of incorporated REs within the film. The combination of soft magnetism and giant magnetostriction makes these NiFeCo thin films with added Tb and Dy excellent candidates for developing resonant frequency sensing devices.

Knowledge-based query system for the critical minerals

Critical minerals are increasingly used in advanced, modern technologies. Exploration for these minerals require efficient mechanisms to search for the latest geological knowledge about the petrogenesis and spatial distribution of these essential resources. Although the current text-based deposit classification schemes help geoscientists to understand how and where these critical minerals form, they cannot easily be queried by software without extensive natural language processing and knowledge modeling. Ontologies can explicitly specify the knowledge scattered in the texts and tables of these schemes and the Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI) database by way of logical structures whose results can automatically be processed and queried. They can also draw new knowledge by inference from the ones that are explicitly specified in them. These qualities make ontologies a perfect choice for digital knowledge storage, search, and extraction. The Critical Minerals Ontology (CMO) is described herein by reusing the logical class and property structures of the top-level Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) and mid-level Common Core Ontologies (CCO) and Relation Ontology (RO). The CMO formally models the knowledge about the critical mineral systems using the latest deposit classification scheme and the CMMI database schema. The ontology specifies the geochemical and geological processes that operate in various geotectonic environments of mineral systems to form the critical minerals in different deposit types. It models the properties of both the host minerals that contain the rare-earth elements and those that bear other types of elements. The CMO also represents uses of specific critical minerals in the manufacturing of industrial products, their alternate substitutes, and countries that produce, import, and export them. A query system, applying the Python programming language, accesses the knowledge modeled in the CMO and allows users through interactive web pages to query the ontology and extract different types of information from it. The ontology and the query system are useful for research in ore mineralogy and critical mineral prospecting. The information modeled by the ontology and served by the query system allows users to classify their ore specimen data into specific deposit types.

Thermal and chemical expansion of layered oxygen-deficient double perovskites

Layered oxygen-deficient double perovskites (ODP) based on the rare-earth elements (REE), barium and 3d-metals (Fe, Co, Cu etc.) are characterized by high values of electrical conductivity and high electrochemical activity in oxygen reduction reaction, and are considered as prospective cathode materials for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) on the base of proton- and oxygen-ion conducting solid electrolytes (SE). Effective cathode materials should be thermomechanically compatible with materials of SE, which tаkes place when the values of their thermal expansion coefficients (TEC) are close to each other. Due to this the study of thermal expansion of ODP as well as the isotation of different contributions in it (thermal, chemical, spin etc.), is of considerable interest. In this work using dilatometric method the thermal expansion of NdBa1–xSrxFeCo0,5Cu0,5O6−δ (0.0 ≤ х ≤ 1.0) (NBSFCC) ODP was studied using dilatometric method. It was established that the values of average linear thermal expansion coefficient (LTEC) (α) of the samples sharply increased from (15.1–16.2) · 10–6 K–1 at Т < 630–920 K to (18.9–23.5) 10–6 K–1 at Т > 630–920 K due to the evolution of weaklybonded oxygen from the samples. Values of α in the low-temperature region increase with increasing of values of their oxygen nonstoichiometry index (δ), and in the high-temperature one increase with the x increasing due to the increment of chemical contribution in the samples expansion. Based of the results of dilatometry, thermogravimetry, and iodometry, the thermal and chemical contributions in the expansion оn NBSFCC were isolated, and the effect of crystal structure, cationic and anionic composition of NBSFCC ODP on the values of their thermal and linear chemical expansion coefficient (LCEC, αδ ) was investigated. It was found, that LCEC values of the samples sharply increased from (8.6–11.8) · 10–3 at (х < 0.5) to (12.6–15.8) · 10–3 at (х > 0.5) when transition from ordered tetragonal (х < 0.5) to disordered cubic (х > 0.5) phase took place. It was shown, that dependences of LTEC and LCEC of NBSFCC phases on their crystal structure and chemical compositions obtained in this work are in good accordance with the analogous dependences determined earlier for the ODP of other types.

Solmers: Versatile hybrid resins for nanometric 3D printing of silica-based photonic components

Owning to their intrinsic properties, silica-based glasses are widely used in various technological fields, especially in photonics. However, high degree of flexibility is yet challenging in realization of next-generation miniaturized optical components. In this work, we develop an approach based on ‶Solmers″ hybrid resins allowing versatile two-photon polymerization 3D printing of silica glasses with 23 nm resolution, doping with Germanium and/or rare-earths elements. Other dopants such as gold nanoparticles were also incorporated for localized metallization. After 3D printing and sintering (1100–1300 °C), high optical quality glasses with low surface roughness (<0.2 nm) were obtained. Structural analyses confirmed the amorphous structure of silica glasses. Various mono- or multi-materials microstructures were successfully fabricated on fused silica substrates. Besides, this approach was extended to the functionalization of optical fibers for optical sensing applications in harsh environment (1000 °C). Compared to organic or organic-inorganic materials, these dense silica-based glasses with enhanced optical and structural properties will open new avenues for the development of emerging advanced optical components.

Transition from an incommensurate spin density wave to a commensurate magnetic order in a triangular lattice compound Ho2PdAl6Ge4

Rare-earth (RE) intermetallics on a triangular lattice are promising candidates for generating interesting magnetic phases due to the complex interplay between Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) interaction and geometrical frustration. Here we report the exotic magnetic structure of a layered compound Ho2PdAl6Ge4 with triangular lanthanide nets. Magnetization and heat capacity measurements in zero magnetic field reveal two magnetic phase transitions at TN1 = 10.8 K and TN2 = 6.0 K. Neutron powder diffraction demonstrates a commensurate antiferromagnetic phase with k1 = (0, 0, 1.5) below TN2. With increasing temperature, another incommensurate vector appears and therefore, the magnetic structure of the intermediate state is identified as an unusual incommensurate spin density wave with two propagation vectors k1 = (0, 0, 1.5) and k2 = (0.0492, 0.0492, 1.5). The magnetic moments in the intermediate state rotate continuously and form an unusual S-shaped wave arrangement in the ab plane, sharing similarities with typical cycloid and helix magnetic orders. These results identify Ho2PdAl6Ge4 as a candidate for exploring field-induced topological magnetic phases such as skyrmions, opening the way for further investigations on the family of RE2PdAl6Ge4 materials.

Detrital zircon REE and tectonic settings

Earth's long-term history is preserved in the rock archive, yet this record is incomplete, hindering our understanding of how tectonic processes have evolved and shaped our planet's evolution. The physio-chemical resilience of zircon and its ability to be rapidly analyzed for age, isotopic, and elemental data has made it a key phase in unraveling Earth's long-term evolution. The europium anomaly (Eu/Eu*) and the differentiation degree between light and heavy rare earth elements (LREEN¯/HREEN¯) of zircons positively correlate with the pressure of magma crystallization because high pressure inhibits plagioclase crystallization and promotes garnet growth. However, this correlation can be influenced by fluctuations in redox conditions, protolith composition, and water content of magma, whose stability varies in different tectonic settings. Therefore, the correlation coefficient between Eu/Eu* and LREEN¯/HREEN¯ of detrital zircons (rDz) provides a new proxy to help distinguish tectonic settings. We evaluate this new proxy using available global detrital zircon REE data from different tectonic settings in modern and deep times. The data from well-constrained simple tectonic settings suggest that rDz is higher in convergent settings (0.53–0.85) than in collisional settings (0.12–0.51). Convergent settings can also yield relatively low rDz (0.28–0.55) when there is a contribution of a mantle plume lying below the overriding plate of a subduction zone.When studying a detrital zircon archive derived from a large distributive province that includes sources from a variety of settings, known provenance information should be used to disentangle mixed source signals. Also, only considering detrital zircon grains that formed a short time (e.g., 50 or 100 Myr) prior to deposition can reduce the likelihood of multi-cycle distal mixing of contemporaneous but tectonically distinct zircons in a sample. Additionally, greater confidence in interpretations of changes in tectonic settings may be derived from evolution patterns of rDz instead of isolated values. A decreasing trend can likely be interpreted as a transition from convergent to collisional or mantle plume settings, whereas an increasing trend implies an opposite tectonic transition.

Geological characteristics of early cretaceous volcanic rocks and analysis of metallogenic potential of uranium mineralization in Moganshan basin, northern Zhejiang province, China

The Moganshan Volcanic Basin is located in the northeastern section of the Ganhang volcanic-tectonic-uranium polymetallic metallogenic belt. To explore the uranium mineralization potential of these volcanic rocks, petrographic, elemental geochemical, zircon U-Pb chronology, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope analyses were performed on the volcanic rocks in the Moganshan Basin. The results showed that the volcanic rocks within the Moganshan Basin were formed at 130.8 ± 2.0 Ma; In addition, they are Si-rich (SiO2 content of 72.98%–77.32%), alkali-rich (Na2O+ K2O, with ALK values of =7.15–9.74), and potassium-rich (K2O/Na2O content of 1.41–4.34), with light rare earth elements (Rb, Th Nd, Zr, and Hf). Further more, the volcanic rocks within the Moganshan Basin are deficient in Ba, Ta, Nb, and Sr, with a negative europium anomaly (δEu of 0.10–0.17), high ISr (0.71028–0.71160), low εNd(t) values (−6.43–5.77), and other characteristics. The geological characteristics of the volcanic rocks in the Moganshan Basin are the same as those of the volcanic rocks in eastern China, and the formation age is Early Cretaceous. The formation environment is intra-land extensional and tensional. The rock-forming material primarily originates from the upper crust and has a higher average uranium content than that in the Ganhang volcanic belt. Additionally, it is speculated that the Moganshan Volcanic Basin has good potential for uranium mineralization.

Substitution potential of La/Ce/Er for high-cost Sc in rare-earth Al alloys: A comprehensive first-principles study

Al–Sc alloys have high strength, plasticity, and corrosion resistance, making them ideal lightweight materials for the aerospace and automotive industries. However, the practical application of these alloys is constrained by the high cost of Sc. We investigate the substitution potential of lower-cost rare-earth elements X (X = La, Ce and Er) for the expensive Sc in Al–Sc alloys through first-principles calculations. Assessing substitution formation energy, substitutional segregation, and their impact on (001), (110), and (111) γ-Al/γ′-Al3Sc interfaces, results highlight Er as the most promising candidate among the three, thermodynamically replacing Sc in Al3Sc precipitates. Er atoms selectively segregate to γ-Al/γ′-Al3Sc interfaces, enhancing stability by reducing interface energies. The morphology of precipitates undergoes a transition from a truncated cuboctahedron to an {111}-faceted octahedron. Increased Er segregation further bolsters interfacial fracture strength, attributed to segregation-induced charge accumulation. Our work could offer reference for the design of rare-earth Al alloys with low-cost and high-performance.

Exploring Rare Earth Elements in complex microscopic mineral phases: Inputs from μLIBS imaging

Understanding the distribution and concentration of Rare Earth Elements (REE) within various minerals and ores is crucial in mineralogy and geology for comprehending the micro-scale processes that contribute to the formation of REE-bearing minerals. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy elemental imaging emerges as a valuable tool due to its spatial resolution (15 μm) and ability for blind and rapid identification of elements within thin rock sections. Geological samples from the metamorphic core of the Zagros orogen (Iran) prepared as thin rock sections have been analyzed by LIBS imaging. Mineralogical phases have been determined from LIBS images of major elements. We first found that the distribution of Yttrium and REEs varies depending on the metamorphic stage. Then, while garnets may exhibit zoning in Mn, we observed that not all of them incorporate Yttrium. Finally, we demonstrated that REEs carriers include bastnaesite (Y Ce La F) and xenotime-like minerals primarily composed of Y with varying amounts of Yb, Gd, and Nd. We also demonstrated that the REEs minerals can exhibit either millimetric size when embedded within andalusite phases, or micrometric size when randomly scattered throughout the matrix. And we have also observed that some samples feature abundant Y-enriched Zircon phases. This study demonstrates that μLIBS imaging enables drawing a comprehensive picture of geological samples down to the micrometric scale. It has become a key technique in this field, providing access to the mineralogy of REE minerals, which is paramount for optimizing the final exploitation process compared to other analytical techniques.

The origin of Ordovician siliceous rocks and their deposition settings in the Northwest Tarim Basin, NW China

The siliceous rocks are well developed in Northwest Tarim Basin, which plays an important role in indicating its forming environment. In order to determine the origin of siliceous rock and its deposition settings, the paper studies the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of siliceous rock in well KP 1 and outcrops in Northwest Tarim Basin based on core observation, microscopic section identification and analysis of major and trace elements and rare earth elements. The Ordovician siliceous rocks of Northwest Tarim Basin are mainly developed in the middle and upper Penglaiba Formation and the bottom of the Yingshan Formation. Three types of cherts are identified, including cryptocrystalline silica, microcrystalline quartz and fibrous chalcedony depending on the mineral morphology. The terrigenous source is best evidenced by the high Ti (160∼310 ppm) and Al (1300∼3180 ppm), and positive δ30Si (0.9–3.6‰). Whereas, hydrothermal processes can be inferred from relative high content of V, Ni, Sr, Mo and Ba, and no obvious Ce and Eu anomaly. The chert of well KP 1 and Kuluxi profile is deposited in continental-margin settings, which is evidenced by its Al2O3/(Al2O3 + Fe2O3) (0.58–0.94, average of 0.81) and its Lan/Cen ratio (0.76–1.02, average of 0.93). The continental-margin settings are also evidenced by the close relation between silicification and dolomitization. Silicification is commonly well developed where dolomitization occurs, because the dolomitization mainly occurs in the regression background, where provides more terrigenous source silica to the sea water and results in more silicification. This study highlights the origin of Ordovician siliceous rocks and the outcome from this new contribution may provide useful guidelines for hydrocarbon exploration in the basin and other global analogues.

Effect of rare earth element Y content on microstructure, magnetic properties, and electrochemical properties of the as-annealed FeCoNiAl0.2Yx high-entropy alloys

FeCoNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) is widely used in the aerospace and chemical industry. However, the strength and corrosion resistance of the alloy still need to be improved. In this paper, FeCoNiAl0.2Yx (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 in mole ratio) high entropy alloys with different contents of rare earth (RE) element yttrium (Y) were prepared by the vacuum arc melting method, and then the alloys were subjected to annealing treatment at 800 °C/2h. The microstructure, hardness, magnetism, and corrosion performance of FeCoNiAl0.2Yx HEAs in the annealed state with different contents of element Y were analyzed. The results show that the annealed FeCoNiAl0.2Yx HEAs without the addition of element Y and after the addition of element Y both were composed of a face-centered cubic phase. The alloy showed a dendritic structure inside. The element Y was solidly dissolved in the alloys to refine the microstructure of the alloys, and the dendrites were gradually refined with the addition of Y. The Y element caused the phenomenon of lattice distortion inside the alloys, which led to the increase in the alloys’ hardness. The alloy with x = 0.2 showed the greatest exchange of magnetic atoms and the alloy with x = 0.05 showed the lowest coercivity. The alloy with x = 0.1 showed the lowest self-corrosion current density, the broadest passivation zone, the densest dendrites, the smallest grain spacing, and the weakest tendency for intergranular corrosion. The present study shows that the introduction of element Y improves the microstructural morphology, hardness, magnetism, and corrosion properties of FeCoNiAl0.2Yx HEAs in the annealed state.

Diverse apatite geochemical compositions in early Paleozoic granitoids of the North Qinling orogen, China: Insights into their petrogenesis and magma sources

Apatite geochemistry in granitoids is controlled primarily by the original melt compositions and partition coefficients. However, additional factors (e.g., post-crystallization effects, mineral crystallization sequences, and crustal assimilation) can also contribute to variations in apatite compositions. In this study, we collected three groups of early Paleozoic granitoids from the North Qinling Orogen and obtained in situ geochemical data for apatite. The granitoids were formed by partial melting of oceanic arc crust (group A), recycling of ancient crust (group B), and melting of the lithospheric mantle and extensive fractionation (group C). Trace element and Nd isotope data show the apatite from the Taiping and Manziying plutons (group A) were affected by post-crystallization processes and crustal assimilation, respectively. In addition, crystallization of plagioclase/allanite and apatite resulted in the variable Eu anomalies and rare earth element contents of apatite in the group A granitoids. In contrast, apatite compositions in group C were controlled primarily by the fractionation of hornblende. However, the decoupling of Eu anomalies of apatite and their host rocks, particularly for group B, cannot be easily explained by the aforementioned factors. As such, the redox state may also have been an important factor. We used a ternary diagram (10 × [Eu/Eu*]N–V–Ga) to constrain the redox state from the apatite data, and provide insights into the types and petrogenesis of the host granitoids. Combined with the whole-rock and zircon geochemical data, we found that the apatite from the rocks derived from continental crust (group B and cratonic adakites) is generally reduced, whereas apatite from the mafic rocks and high BaSr granitoids is highly oxidized. The highest degree of oxidation was found for the altered apatite from the group A granitoids and unaltered apatite in the orogenic adakites, possibly due to interactions with fluid derived from oceanic crust. Moreover, unaltered group A granitoids exhibit a transitional trend from an oxidized to a reduced state. Apatite geochemistry can be used to constrain the redox state of adakitic rocks and whether they have a continental or oceanic crustal origin. The high Sr contents of high BaSr granitoids are inherited from their mantle source.

One-Pot Synthesis of Ce-SSZ-39 Zeolite with Performance in the NH3-SCR Reaction.

Cu-SSZ-39 zeolite with 8-membered rings is regarded as a very promising catalyst in the NH3-SCR reaction, but its hydrothermal stability still remains to be improved. One of the solutions to promote hydrothermal stability is the insertion of rare earth elements in the product. Nevertheless, normal ion exchange of rare earth elements limits their contents in the zeolite product due to their large hydrated ionic radius and alkaline environment under hydrothermal conditions. Herein, we for the first time present a new method for the one-pot synthesis of Ce-SSZ-39 zeolite under solvent-free conditions. The key to success is the use of Ce-FAU zeolite as a precursor. The obtained product shows good crystallinity, sheet-like morphology, large BET surface area, and 4-coordinated Al species. Detailed investigations illustrate that Ce species in the Cu/Ce-SSZ-39 zeolite micropore can prevent the dealumination and thus formation of CuAlOx species during hydrothermal aging at 850 °C for 16 h, giving the excellent hydrothermal stability and thus showing the excellent catalytic performance in the NH3-SCR reaction. One-pot synthesis of Ce-SSZ-39 zeolite with excellent catalytic performance might open a new door for developing very efficient selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts in near future.

Numerical Study on Mechanical Behavior and Electromechanical Properties of Solder-Jointed REBCO-Coated Conductors.

As the second-generation high-temperature superconducting conductors, rare earth-barium-copper-oxide (REBCO) coated conductor (CC) tapes have good potential as high-field and high-energy superconductors. In superconducting applications, several joints are required for conjugating comparatively short REBCO CC tapes. Soldering lap joints are the simplest and most commonly applied REBCO CC joints. In addition to joint resistance, the mechanical behavior and electromechanical properties are also crucial for superconducting applications. In this paper, the electromechanical properties and mechanical behaviors of soldering lap joints at 77 K under a self-field were studied. The mechanical behavior was addressed by using a full three-dimensional multilayer elastic-plastic finite element model (FEM) with REBCO CC tape main layers and solder connecting layers. Then, the electromechanical properties were analyzed by using Gao's strain-Ic degradation general model on the basis of the FEM results. Both the mechanical behavior and electromechanical properties were verified by experimental results. The effects of soldering lap conditions including lap length, soldering thickness and lap style on the electromechanical properties and mechanical behaviors were discussed. The results indicate that shorter overlap lengths and a thinner solder can reduce the premature degradation of Ic due to stress concentrations nearby the joint edges; moreover, the irreversible critical strain is significantly higher in the back-to-back joint approach compared to the widely used face-to-face joint approach.

Easy Access to Ultrahigh-Molecular Weight Poly(1,3-dioxolane) by Rare Earth Triflates

Easy Access to Ultrahigh-Molecular Weight Poly(1,3-dioxolane) by Rare Earth Triflates

Utilizing rare earth titanates to improve performance of solid-state electrochromic device

Exploring new materials and synthesis recipes are required to enhance the electrochromic performance especially, when used in solid-state devices. Here, polycrystalline gadolinium titanate (Gd2TiO5 or GTO), synthesized using a simple solid-state reaction method, has been used for this purpose by combining it with polythiophene (P3HT). The electrochemical investigation of the Gd2TiO5 doped P3HT electrode has been carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which reveals the dominance of diffusion-controlled mechanism over charge storage on the electrode surface as compared to the P3HT electrode. The Gd2TiO5 doped P3HT solid-state electrochromic device shows color modulation at 515 nm and 670 nm wavelengths with a color contrast of as high as 79% and 42%, respectively, under an external bias of as low as ±1.4 V. The prepared device switches between maroon to a transparent state in less than a second under the external bias (±1.4 V) with a high coloration efficiency of 346 cm2/C. The device shows improved cycle life over 100 switching cycles at both the wavelengths, which makes it more suitable for real-life applications.

Beneficiation of rare earth elements contained in phosphogypsum using sequenced treatment process

Concerns regarding the availability of rare earth elements (REEs) and the depletion of natural resource reserves have made it necessary to look for a significant breakthrough that may pave the way for the mining of several low-grade deposits and secondary resources. Phosphogypsum (PG) is one of the promising alternatives to preserve a steady flow of REEs and mitigate the loss of natural reserves. Nonetheless, the low concentration of REEs in PG implies the necessity of an enrichment step prior to any extraction attempt. To tackle the difficult challenges of REEs concentration from diluted phosphate-derived by-products, this study concentrated on determining the likely speciation of REEs and their beneficiation, as well as conducting an economic assessment of the potential industrial value of REEs present in PG. It was found that the alkaline solubilization of the gypsum phase of PG using Na4EDTA favored the beneficiation of different qualities of PG. Moreover, it was found that the abatement of residual undesirable phases by mineral acid (HF) for quartz (SiO2) elimination, or pyrometallurgical process, improved the enrichment of REEs in the residual concentrate. A REEs concentration of 4390.23 ppm and 4317.55 ppm were achieved after sequenced alkaline, neutral, and acidic treatment of low-grade PG (238.22 ppm); and sequenced alkaline, neutral, and pyrometallurgical treatment of high-grade PG (389.75 ppm), respectively. Furthermore, an elementary assessment of REEs speciation revealed that REEs could potentially be present as insoluble rare earth fluorides (REF3) and/or rare earth phosphates (REPO4).

Theoretical Studies on γ-Photon/Neutron Shielding Characteristics of RE3+Co-Doped Borate, Phosphate, and Silicate Glass Systems

The Phy-X program software was used to investigate the γ- and neutron shielding properties of trivalent rare earth co-doped borate-, phosphate- and silicate glasses (G1-G10) concerning elemental composition and density. The attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ and μ), half/tenth value layer (HVL and TVL), and mean free path (MFP) were calculated, and each revealed the influence of rare earth including the Pb, Ba, and Bi elements. Energy and compositional dependent effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), and effective electron conductivity (Ceff) of all the glasses were studied. On the high-density glasses G6, G9, and G10, the HVL and TVL values are projected to be lower than on the other examined glasses. The neutron radiation shielding abilities of the studied glasses were investigated by determining removal cross-section (RCS). The results were compared to those of commercially available materials such as concrete, graphite, water, and Hematite-serpentine concrete. The γ-ray exposure buildup and energy absorption factor values (EBF/EABF) of glass samples were determined in the energy range of 0.015 to 15 MeV.

Rare Earth Nanoprobes for Targeted Delineation of Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Enhancement of Radioimmunotherapy.

Radiotherapy demonstrates a synergistic effect with immunotherapy by inducing a transformation of "immune cold" tumors into "immune hot" tumors in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Nevertheless, the effectiveness of immunotherapy is constrained by low expression of tumor-exposed antigens, inadequate inflammation, and insufficient tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TILs). To address this predicament, novel lutecium-based rare earth nanoparticles (RENPs) are synthesized with the aim of amplifying radiation effect and tumor immune response. The nanoprobe is characterized by neodymium-based down-conversion fluorescence, demonstrating robust photostability, biocompatibility, and targetability. The conjugation of RENPs with a CXCR4 targeted drug enables precise delineation of breast tumors using a near-infrared imaging system and improves radiation efficacy via lutetium-based radio-sensitizer invivo. Furthermore, the study shows a notable enhancement of immune response through the induction of immunogenic cell death and recruitment of TILs, resulting in the inhibition of tumor progression both invitro and invivo models following the administration of nanoparticles. Hence, the novel multifunctional nanoprobes incorporating various lanthanide elements offer the potential for imaging-guided tumor delineation, radio-sensitization, and immune activation post-radiation, thus presenting an efficient radio-immunotherapeutic approach for TNBC.

Geochemistry and origin of the Late Carboniferous ultramafic, mafic, and felsic plutonic rocks (NW Iran)

The Late Carboniferous Gharabagh-Mamkan-Mingol plutonic complex (GMMP) consists of a variety of ultramafic, mafic, felsic intrusive rocks, including the 325–315 Ma Gharabagh gabbroic, granitic, and monzonitic rocks and Mamkan-Mingol 320–315 Ma massive appinites (hornblende-rich gabbros) and 300–295 Ma layered mafic-ultramafic (gabbro, appinitic gabbro, and appinite) rocks in the northwestern Sanandaj-Sirjan zone, Iran. The relationships between various rock types in the plutonic complex are unknown. To address these issues, we conducted a detailed petrologic and geochemical study of the complex, and its country rocks.The abundance of major and trace elements and isotopic ratios of 87/86Sr (0.70379–0.70428) and 143/144Nd (0.51228–0.51245) systems showed that the Gharabagh gabbros formed from a metasomatized amphibole-bearing spinel lherzolite from an ancient subduction-modified mantle source with OIB characteristics including high contents of light rare earth elements (LREEs), Ti, Nb, Ta, and Ba, as well as low concentrations of Sr, Hf, and Zr. The geochemical data show that monzonites had high concentrations of LREEs, Ba, U, K, Hand Zr, and the low contents of Th, Nb, Ta, Sr, P, and HREEs and Eu-positive anomalies and originated from the melting of the continental crustal base in the subducted mantle wedge. The granites are similar to monzonites, with their difference being in the high concentrations of Th and Eu-negative anomalies. Combining petrographic, petrological, geochemical, and isotopic data suggests that Gharabagh plutonic rocks were formed as a result of Paleo-Tethys slab break-off, and slab sinking, during trans-tensional collision between the Central Iranian microplate and Gondwanaland during the Late Carboniferous. As a result of this event, decompression melting began in the upwelling mantle, coeval with the formation of the pull-apart basin, during major strike-slip faulting, leading to a hydrous mafic melt with about 10–12% partial melting.The Mamkan-Mingol massive and layered masses have a tholeiitic affinity. The Mamkan-Mingol rocks are characterized by different trace element patterns, especially in the concentrations of REEs and high field strength elements (HFSEs) such as Nb, Ta, Hf, Zr, and P and large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) such as Th, U, Sr, K, Rb, and Ba. The massive and layered rocks mostly show a variably developed negative anomaly in HFSEs, and widely varying ratios of (La/Yb)n (1.0–5.2). Massive appinites and layered gabbros of GMMP originated due to different partial melting in the upwelling zone of metasomatized OIB-like amphibole-bearing spinel lherzolite and a less hydrous- to dry upwelling mantle zone, respectively, in an environment associated with the initiation of rifting, where the remnants of the Paleo-Tethys subducted slab plunges deep into the mantle. Contrasting Nd isotopic ranges are present between the massive appinites (ɛNd = +0.39) and different types of mafic-ultramafic rocks in layered outcrops (ɛNd = +1.12 to +2.07) of the complex. Based on the geochemical and isotopic (ratios of Sr, Nd, and Pb) data, we suggest that variations in of contribution of slab-derived fluids or crustal components in the primary melt caused the generation of massive appinites and different types of layered gabbros.