Solid Melting Research Articles

Real-time (nanoseconds) determination of liquid phase growth during shock-induced melting

Melting of solids is a fundamental natural phenomenon whose pressure dependence has been of interest for nearly a century. However, the temporal evolution of the molten phase under pressure has eluded measurements because of experimental challenges. By using the shock front as a fiducial, we investigated the time-dependent growth of the molten phase in shock-compressed germanium. In situ x-ray diffraction measurements at different times (1 to 6nanoseconds) behind the shock front quantified the real-time growth of the liquid phase at several peak stresses. These results show that the characteristic time for melting in shock-compressed germanium decreases from ~7.2nanoseconds at 35gigapascals to less than 1nanosecond at 42gigapascals. Our melting kinetics results suggest the need to consider heterogeneous nucleation as a mechanism for shock-induced melting and provide an approach to measuring melting kinetics in shock-compressed solids.

Heat-Resistant Polymer Networks Prepared from Processable Resveratrol-Based Propargyl Ether Monomers

Three propargyl ether thermosetting resins were prepared from biosynthetic trans-resveratrol (1), cis-resveratrol (2), and dihydroresveratrol (3). The cure chemistry of the monomers as well as the thermal stability and mechanical properties of cross-linked networks were then characterized by techniques including differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The monomers were highly processable, existing as low melting solids (1, Tm = 81 °C; 3, supercooled liquid with an ultimate Tm = 40 °C), or a permanent room-temperature liquid (2). All three resins exhibited broad processing windows and high degrees of cure ranging from 97–99%. The glass transition temperatures (Tg) of 1 and 2 were 389 and 384 °C (loss modulus), respectively, while 3 did not exhibit a well-defined Tg. All three of the networks exhibited outstanding thermal stability with char yields of 66, 64, and 54% at 1000 °C (under N2) for 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Heat release capacities of 1, 2, and 3 were 53, 41, and 114 J g–1K–1, respectively, consistent with self-extinguishing (3) or non-ignitable (1, 2) polymers. The networks also exhibited low water uptakes ranging from 3.64 to 1.59 wt %. The thermal stability, fire-resistance, and mechanical properties of the resveratrol-based resins represent significant improvements over monomers derived from conventional petroleum-based bisphenols (e.g., bisphenol A). This work demonstrates that the unique morphology afforded by bio-based monomers allows for the preparation of polymer networks with enhanced properties. The resveratrol networks have potential applications as components of high-temperature and fire-resistant composite materials for aerospace applications.

Increasing the firmness of wax‐based oleogels using ternary mixtures of sunflower wax with beeswax:candelilla wax combinations

AbstractOleogels were prepared with 5% wax in soybean oil using mixtures of beeswax (BW) and candelilla wax (CLW) with ratios of 10:90, 30:70, 50:50, and 60:40 BW:CLW, and the same series where 10% of the total wax was substituted with sunflower wax (SFW). The hypothesis that SFW would increase the firmness of the oleogels without affecting the melting properties was tested. Firmness of one‐wax oleogels decreased from SFW > CLW > BW. Oleogels with 50:50 BW:CLW and 60:40 BLW:CLW had equal firmness to pure 5% SFW oleogels. SFW significantly increased oleogel firmness and reduced the softening that occurred between 4°C and 22°C. Increased firmness was also found with rice bran wax and behenyl‐behenate (C44) addition, but not with wax esters with chain lengths ranging from 30 to 40 carbons (C30 to C40). By differential scanning calorimetry, SFW significantly decreased the melting point of oleogels with 10:90 and 30:70 BW:CLW mixtures but significantly increased the melting point of those with 50:50 and 60:40 BW:CLW mixtures. However, the solid fat content melting curves were not significantly influenced by SFW addition. These results indicate that mixed wax oleogels had greater hardness and elasticity, and that the long chain wax esters contributed by SFW helped to improve the strength of oleogels without negatively affecting their melting properties.

Thermodynamic Calculations Support a Rain Cloud Model of Chondrule Formation

Thermodynamic calculations using the critically evaluated and optimized FactSage databases lead to the conclusion that chondrules of all types were formed from a “rain cloud” of undercooled liquid oxide droplets that were in equilibrium with the solar nebula. The droplets subsequently solidified rapidly and stochastically in the temperature and pressure gradients of the nebula to form solid chondrules that retained the compositions of the liquid droplets and thereafter were no longer in thermodynamic equilibrium with the nebular gas. This provides a simple unified model for the formation of chondrules in all chondrite meteorites including chondrule-like calcia alumina inclusions, anorthite-rich chondrules, and magnesio-silicate chondrules. Other models of chondrule formation, including the currently favored models of melting of pre-existing solids, are not consistent with thermodynamic calculations.

Fake goods

The early 2020s commonplace that everything seems a bit unreal is a material truth. Not only our shoes and handbags, but our makeup, phone chargers, glassware, and medications; our oven mitts and bike helmets and airplane parts; the components in our intravenous drip machines and defibrillators, the brakes of our high-speed trains - all may be counterfeit. Counterfeit goods are generally substandard ones that infringe intellectual property rights. The iconic examples are fake Louis Vuitton handbags and Nike Air Jordan sneakers, but fakes can now be found across the whole spectrum of retail and wholesale consumption (Suthivarakom, 2020). Advances in logistics are generating more counterfeits. The burgeoning volume of containerized shipping is increasing the trade in fakes, since the greater surveillance that would detect them would also slow down the flow of legitimate goods. Beginning around 2018, the rise in online shopping, small parcel delivery, and social media shopping multiplied the sales of counterfeits on platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, Instagram, and TikTok, ushering in a new era of indiscernible copycats of non-luxury products. Pandemic lockdowns exacerbated the problem, creating demand for counterfeit semiconductors and personal protective equipment. Logistics - typically understood to move existing products - creates markets for new, criminal ones. The desire for speed and convenience has given us a counterfeit world of goods. The glib twentieth-century notion of phoniness in The Graduate's ironic advice to Benjamin Braddock (“there's a great future in plastics”) has taken a darker turn. Now even the plastic is not really plastic.

Porcelain versus Porcelain Stoneware: So Close, So Different. Sintering Kinetics, Phase Evolution, and Vitrification Paths.

Five porcelain and porcelain stoneware bodies were investigated to compare sintering mechanisms and kinetics, phase and microstructure evolution, and high temperature stability. All batches were designed with the same raw materials and processing conditions, and characterized by optical dilatometry, XRF, XRPD-Rietveld, FEG-SEM and technological properties. Porcelain and porcelain stoneware behave distinctly during sintering, with the convolution of completely different phase evolution and melt composition/structure. The firing behavior of porcelain is essentially controlled by microstructural features. Changes in mullitization create conditions for a relatively fast densification rate at lower temperature (depolymerized melt, lower solid load) then to contrast deformations at high temperature (enhanced effective viscosity by increasing solid load, mullite aspect ratio, and melt polymerization). In porcelain stoneware, the sintering behavior is basically governed by physical and chemical properties of the melt, which depend on the stability of quartz and mullite at high temperature. A buffering effect ensures adequate effective viscosity to counteract deformation, either by preserving a sufficient skeleton or by increasing melt viscosity if quartz is melted. When a large amount of soda-lime glass is used, no buffering effect occurs with melting of feldspars, as both solid load and melt viscosity decrease. In this batch, the persistence of a feldspathic skeleton plays a key role to control pyroplasticity.

A unified numerical model for two-phase porous, mush and suspension flow dynamics in magmatic systems

SUMMARYMagmatic systems in the Earth’s mantle and crust contain multiple phases including solid crystals, liquid melt and low viscosity fluids. Depending on depth, tectonic setting and chemical composition, magmatic systems can range from partially molten rock at low melt fraction to magma mushes at intermediate melt fraction to magmatic suspensions at high melt fraction. However, the theories underpinning most process-based models of magmatic systems describe magma as a single-phase fluid, or as a two-phase mixture either in the porous flow regime at low melt fractions or in the suspension flow regime at high melt fractions. Connections between the two-phase end-member theories are poorly established and hinder investigations into the dynamics of mush flows at intermediate phase fractions, leaving a significant gap in bridging trans-crustal magma processing from source to surface. To address this knowledge gap and unify two-phase magma flow models, we develop a 2-D system-scale numerical model of the fluid mechanics of an n-phase system at all phase proportions, based on a recent theoretical model for multiphase flows in igneous systems. We apply the model to two-phase, solid-liquid mixtures by calibrating transport coefficients to theory and experiments on mixtures with olivine-rich rock and basaltic melt using a Bayesian parameter estimation approach. We verify the model using the method of manufactured solutions and test the scalability for high resolution modelling. We then demonstrate 1-D and 2-D numerical experiments across the porous, mush and suspension flow regimes. The experiments replicate known phenomena from end-member regimes, including rank-ordered porosity wave trains in 1-D and porosity wave breakup in 2-D in the porous flow regime, as well as particle concentration waves in 1-D and mixture convection in 2-D in the suspension flow regime. By extending self-consistently into the mush regime, the numerical experiments show that the weakening solid matrix facilitates liquid localization into liquid-rich shear bands with their orientation controlled by the solid stress distribution. Although the present model can already be used to investigate three-phase mixtures using conceptually derived transport coefficients, more rigorous calibration to experiments and end-member theories is needed to ensure accurate timescales and mechanics. With a self-consistent way to examine multiphase mixtures at any phase proportion, this new model transcends theoretical limitations of existing multiphase numerical models to enable new investigations into two-phase or higher magma mush dynamics.

Potential Application of Hydrocolloid-Based Oleogel and Beeswax Oleogel as Partial Substitutes of Solid Fat in Margarine

The purpose of this study was to produce margarine with reduced trans and saturated fatty acid contents using 10% beeswax oleogel and hydrocolloid-based oleogel containing 3.15% sodium caseinate, 0.5% guar gum, and 0.22% xanthan gum with a melting point, rheological and textural characteristics similar to palm oil. Oleogel samples were used as a substitute for palm oil and partially hydrogenated palm olein oil. Margarine (70% fat) formulated with these oleogels was investigated for solid fat content (SFC), melting point, and rheological and textural properties. The results showed that the replacement of 100% partially hydrogenated palm olein oil (PHPO) and 25% palm oil (PO) with beeswax oleogel and the replacement of 100% PHPO with hydrocolloid-based oleogel resulted in the production of margarine with rheological and textural properties similar to the commercial control margarine. In addition, these samples had a lower content of SFC and a higher melting point than the commercial control sample. The amounts of saturated and trans fatty acids also decreased. These were 28% and 80% in the sample containing beeswax and 15% and 73% in the sample with hydrocolloid-based oleogels for saturated and trans fatty acids, respectively. It was concluded that it is possible to manufacture margarine using the oleogel method while maintaining its physical characteristics and improving its nutritional properties.

All that is solid melts in the Ethereum: the brave new (art) world of NFTs

ABSTRACT This article explores non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs, or blockchain-based certificates of ownership for visual or physical assets, a cultural phenomenon which has come to the media attention following the sale of a non-fungible token photo collage, Everyday: The First 5,000 Days, for more than 69 million USD at a Christie's auction in March 2021. The sale made Mike Winkelman (aka Beeple) the third most valuable living artist, behind Jeff Koons and David Hockney starting off a conversation about NFTs which has covered a wide range of issues, including: the contested relationship between art and the market, the long debated question of collective and/or individual authorship within digital aesthetics, the most recent developments in Artificial Intelligence and their creative potential with regard to NFTs – i.e. the appearance of intelligent non-fungible tokens (iNFTs) – and, lastly, the role of cryptocurrencies as a tool for artists’ empowerment or, conversely, as a selling out, under new technological guises, to the capitalist logic of the market. The article reviews and evaluates such debates with the aim to offer critical pointers to help the reader navigate the emerging world of Crypto art.

Simulation of hydrodynamics in gas distribution devices for non-homogeneous mode of fluidization

An increase in the intensity of diffusion-controlled processes during granulation is provided by apparatuses with non-homogeneous fluidization, the hydrodynamics of which significantly depends on the structural features of the granulator chamber and the gas distributing device (GDD). The main problem is the formation of stagnant zones on the working surface of GDD, which, when supplying a coolant with temperature that exceeds the melting point of granules, leads to the melting of solids and the termination of the process.
 In this work, the simulation of hydrodynamics in the granulator chamber was carried out using SolidWorks 2022 SP2 for 4 types of gas distribution devices (GDD) of different configurations with different values ​​of the cross-section coefficient of GDD.
 The analysis of the simulation results shows that the most significant influence on the hydrodynamic activity index near the surface of GDD iha has the cross-section coefficient of GDD φ, since even an insignificant increase in the value of φ from 3.0 to 3.5% leads to a significant decrease in the hydrodynamic activity index iha by at least 1.4 times for all considered types of GDD. The simulation of hydrodynamics was carried out without taking into account the presence of solid granular material in the granulator chamber and near the surface of GDD plate.

Solid Water Melt Dominates the Increase of Total Groundwater Storage in the Tibetan Plateau

AbstractUnderstanding how groundwater storage (GWS) responds to climate change is essential for water resources management and future water availability in the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, the dominant factor controlling long‐term GWS changes remains unclear and its responses to climate change are not well understood. Here we combined multi‐source datasets including in‐situ measurements, satellite observations, global models, and reanalysis products to reveal that GWS increased at 5.59 ± 1.44 Gt/yr during 2003–2016 while showing spatial heterogeneities with increasing trends in northern TP and glacial regions and declining trends in central and southern TP. The accelerated transformation from solid water (glaciers, snow, and permafrost; −17.72 ± 1.53 Gt/yr) into liquid water provide more recharge to groundwater, dominating the total GWS increase. This study contributes to a better understanding of the hydrological cycle under climate change and provides key information for projecting water availability under different future scenarios in the TP.

Formation of Noble Metal Phases (Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ir, Au, Ag) in the Process of Fractional Crystallization of the CuFeS2 Melt

The quasi-equilibrium directional crystallization of the melt composition (at. %): Cu 24.998, Fe 25.001, S 49.983, with Ag 0.002, Pd 0.003, Ru 0.004, Rh 0.006, and Au, Pt, Ir (each as 0.001) was carried out. The crystallized cylindrical ingot consisted of two primary zones and three secondary zones with different chemical and phase compositions. The compositions of the primary zones corresponded to high-temperature intermediate solid solution (zone I) and liquid enriched in sulfur (zone II). The compositions of the secondary zones corresponded to low-temperature intermediate solid solution and chalcopyrite (zone Ia), the same intermediate solid solution with chalcopyrite and bornite (zone Ib), and again with bornite, chalcocite, and idaite (zone II). We plotted the distribution curves of Fe, Cu, and S along the ingot, calculated the distribution coefficients of the components during directional crystallization, and clearly showed that, from the initial stoichiometric composition CuFeS2, the intermediate solid solution enriched in Fe and depleted in S is crystallized. Based on the data of directional crystallization and thermal analysis, a cross section was constructed in the intermediate solid solution-sulfide melt region of the Cu-Fe-S system. With solubility in the solid Cu-Fe sulfides lying below detection limit of scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS), noble elements occurred as individual phases of a size more often <10 µm. They were identified as Ag, RuS2, PdS, Au* (an Au based alloy), (Rh, Ir, Ru)3S8, (Rh, Ir)3S8, Rh3S8, and (Cu, Fe)~2(Pt, Rh)1S~5 phases by electron microprobe. Based on ab initio calculations of crystal structure, electronic band structure, and lattice dynamics of idealized laurite RuS2 phase and the idealized Ir3S8, Rh3S8, and Ru3S8 phases, the interpretation of Raman spectrum of the cation-mixed (Ru, Rh, Ir)S2 sulfide was presented for the first time.

FORMULATION, IN VITRO AND IN VIVO EVALUATION OF PALBOCICLIB SOLID DISPERSIONS

Objective: The current research is aimed to enhance the dissolution and bioavailability of Palbociclib by formulating into solid dispersion Methods: The Palbociclib solid dispersions (SD) prepared by adopting different methods: Surface solid dispersion technique (SSD1-SSD15), Melt granulation (MG1-MG15) and Liquisolid compacts (LSC1-LSC9). All formulations were evaluated for physico-chemical parameters followed by in vitro dissolution studies. The optimised formulation was subjected to bioavailability studies in rats. Results: The results indicated that the prepared formulation satisfactory results for all the evaluated parameters. The SD formulations prepared by liquisolid compact and Melt Granulation technique (LSC1 and MG 3) displayed maximum dissolution of 99.64% and 99.58%. The FTIR of LSC1 displayed no interaction among drug and excipients while XRD, SEM displayed amorphous nature of drug in formulation. The stability study results indicated that LSC 1 was stable over 3 mo. The in vivo bioavailability studies conducted on rats indicate that at any time point, the drug plasma concentrations in animals administrated with the SD formulation was higher than pure drug. The Cmax of the palbociclib SD was 970.76±1.22 ng/ml and was significant (p<0.05) when compared to pure drug suspension formulation (105.84±0.19 ng/ml). The Tmax of both SD formulation and pure drug were 2.0±0.04 and 4±0.01 h, respectively. The AUC0-∞ for SD was higher 7816.61±1.37 ng. h/ml) than the pure drug suspension 2501.4±1.46 ng. h/ml indicating better systemic drug absorption from SD formulation prepared using Melt granulation technique. Conclusion: A significant enhancement in vitro dissolution profile and bioavailability of the melt granules was observed compared to the pure Palbocicilib and marketed product.

Granular Flow Modeling of Galvanized Steel Scrap Injection into the HIsarna Iron‐Making Reactor

Galvanized steel scrap flow and injection into the HIsarna reactor are investigated using discrete element method (DEM). The scrap particle is fed into the reactor through an inclined chute and hits the slag surface where the zinc content is evaporated and solid particles melt. A DEM model is setup and validated using experimental data obtained from the exact plant‐scale chute geometry and scrap particles. Using the DEM model, the effect of chute inclination, injection elevation, injection mode (batch and continuous), batch size, and flowrate on particle distribution and exerted pressure on the slag surface are investigated. It is found that continuous mode of injection is the most suitable method to increase the spread of particles and also to reduce the exerted pressure on the slag surface. Placing dent‐like obstacles at the tip of the chute significantly increases the impact area, especially for batchwise injection, thus reducing force and pressure on the slag surface that minimizes the risk of liquid splash. Larger particle impact area is also beneficial to obtain higher zinc evaporation rate from particle surface and also to minimize the slag surface temperature disturbance.

Parametric optimization of removing iron from solid waste melts based on analysis of real-time coupled two-phase interface in an induction heating furnace

The removal of iron oxide impurities in aluminosilicate solid wastes is crucial to realizing the high-value utilization of solid waste. In this work, a parametric optimization method for the separation process of iron-rich phase from solid wastes driven by electromagnetic was proposed. The induction heating model of two-phase melt in the iron removal process in an electromagnetic induction furnace was established, in which the real-time coupling of electromagnetic field, temperature field, velocity field, and the two-phase interface is realized by using the level set method. Based on this numerical model, the optimal configuration for the initial volume fraction of the metal phase, current intensity, and frequency of magnetic field on the formation process of the two-phase interface and flow and heat transfer in two-phase melt were investigated. The results showed that compared with the single-phase flow, the two-phase flow is more conducive to elevating the temperature of melts. When optimizing the operational parameters, the optimal range of the initial volume fraction of the metal phase should be determined first based on the principle of fewer circulations and higher velocity in the melt. The optimal range of the initial volume fraction of the metal phase is 3%–4% in the case of this work. Then, the optimal frequency of the magnetic field corresponding to the maximum velocity can be obtained, and the appropriate current intensity can be chosen to meet the requirement of smelting in the induction furnace. The proposed parametric optimization method provides theoretical fundamentals for the configuration of the design and operating parameters of the induction furnaces.

A proposed mechanism for solid bed encapsulation: Based on comparing three dimensional and one‐dimensional screw melting models

AbstractThis paper describes how the initial melt generation physics with differing pressure generation dynamics lead to either conventional melting or one dimensional (1D) melting. An historic review of the development of single screw melting models is presented. First, a review of the classic model is briefly presented. Second, after an analysis of literature melting data developed using the Maddock solidification procedure, a screw rotation concept melting model is presented that correlates very well with the melting analysis. Third, a new 1D film melting model is developed to analyze melting when the melt film does not encapsulate the solid bed. This physical model provides for the first time a quantitative model for the initiation and ultimate solid bed melting of the 1D melting process. Finally, a new concept and resulting model demonstrate that Reynold's barring concept for pressure generation in the initial melt film at the barrel interface may provide the mechanism that relates to whether the solid bed is or is not encapsulated.

Bio‐based benzoxazine monomers and polymers based on difuran diamine

AbstractBenzoxazine monomers with high renewable content made from difuran diamine (DFDA) are presented. The benzoxazine monomers were synthesized by reacting DFDA with several bio‐based phenolic compounds and formaldehyde. These systems were purified by precipitation, and depending on composition, the resulting solid powders melt at temperatures ranging between 50 and 150°C to form low viscosity liquids that can be used to impregnate fiber reinforcements. Onset cure temperature varies depending on composition in the range of 150–240°C. The resulting polybenzoxazines have Tg's ranging from 240 to 300°C. It was found that the phenolic structure selected affects curing mechanisms of the DFDA‐based benzoxazines, Benzoxazines that have available ortho or para positions on the phenolic structures result in cure without mass loss. It was also found that adding furan rings into the backbone of the polybenzoxazine network provided the added benefit of char yield as high as 60%, as measured by thermalgravimetric analysis temperature ramps in an inert environment to 800°C. Compared with benzene‐ring‐based benzoxazine counterparts, furan‐based benzoxazines showed better thermal stability. In addition to promising processing and thermal characteristics useful for applications requiring high temperature and fire resistance, these materials contain high renewable content.

Devising resource-saving technologies for the production of casting from magnesium alloys using waste of metallurgical enterprises

Based on the study of the chemical composition and analysis of the physicochemical properties of waste from a number of metallurgical enterprises in the Zaporizhzhya region, the possibility of using waste as charge materials for the production of magnesium-based alloys has been established. The possibility of using solid salt chlorinator melt (SCM) from ZTMC as a flux in the smelting of magnesium alloy instead of the flux VI-2 has been studied; its effect on the structure and mechanical properties of casting was investigated. The technological possibility of using these chloride wastes in the smelting of the ML5 alloy is shown. It was established that the use of SCM as a flux in the smelting of magnesium alloy contributes to the grinding of the structure and improvement of the mechanical properties of the metal of experimental smelting. The possibility of modification of foundry magnesium alloy with graphite powder (GP), which is the waste from JSC "Ukrgrafit", is investigated. It is shown that the optimal GP additive in the volume of 0.05...0.3 % contributes to the grinding of metal grain and increases its strength characteristics due to additional strengthening of both solid solution and eutectoid. It is established that carbon changes the parameters of eutectic transformation, as a result of which, with an increase in its concentration in the alloy, the volume of eutectoid of type δ+γ (Mg4Al3) decreases markedly. Testing the proposed waste for the smelting of the M5 alloy showed that no changes in melting technology are required while the environmental safety of the devised technological process meets the established standards; their quality was improved while increasing the strength limit by 25 %, and plasticity by 30 %. At the same time, the use of waste in the smelting of magnesium alloys can reduce costs in its production, and improve the environmental situation due to the fact that waste is not disposed of at landfills but reused in metallurgical industries

Feasibility of hemp seed oil oleogels structured with natural wax as solid fat replacement in margarine

AbstractCold‐pressed hempseed oil (HSO) is known to have many health benefits due to many phytochemicals and high polyunsaturated fatty acids content. In this study, HSO oleogels were prepared with 3%, 5%, and 7% natural waxes including sunflower wax (SW), rice bran wax (RBW), beeswax, and candelilla wax to evaluate their potential as solid fat replacements in margarines and spreads. Firmness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, solid fat content (SFC), crystal structures, and melting properties of these oleogels were evaluated. In general, HSO oleogels except for RBW‐HSO oleogels had lower gel strength and weaker crystal network than the corresponding soybean oil (SBO) oleogels. In contrast, RBW‐HSO oleogels had comparable gel strength to SBO oleogels. After removing polar compounds from HSO, waxes except for RBW provided oleogels with greater firmness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and stronger crystal network. Therefore, it was concluded that polar compounds negatively affected the physical properties of wax‐HSO oleogels but not those of RBW‐HSO oleogels. Margarine samples were prepared with SW‐ and RBW‐HSO oleogels, and their firmness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and melting properties were examined. The firmness of these margarines indicated that wax‐HSO oleogels may achieve the firmness of commercial spreads with less than 3% wax while the firmness of stick margarines cannot be achieved even with 7% wax. Although the properties of wax‐HSO oleogels should be further improved, they showed potential as solid fat replacements in margarines and spreads.

Synthesis, optical properties and radiation shielding performance of TeO2-Na2O-BaO-WO3 glass system

This study reports the preparation and characterization of three new glasses: 75TeO2 - 5Na2O2 - (20-x)BaO –xWO3; labeled as TNB-W00, TNB-W03, and TNB-W10 for x = 0; 3; 10 mol%, respectively. The glasses were prepared using the solid state melt quench procedure. The optical parameters and radiation shielding parameters were estimated by measurement, FLUKA simulations and analytical calculations as required. Prepared glasses were yellowish but transparent in appearance. The density varied from 5.34 to 5.63 gcm-3 for TNB-0 W – TNB-10 W. The band gap decreased from 3.12 to 2.97 eV as WO3 concentration grows. The refractive index increased from 2.36 to 2.40. The minimum (maximum) value of mass attenuation coefficient corresponded to 0.0334 (43.1380) cm2/g for TNB-0 W, 0.0336 (45.9624) cm2/g for TNB-3 W, and 0.034 (57.831) cm2/g for TNB-10 W. Analysis of other parameters showed that WO3 improved the gamma ray shielding ability of the glasses. The stopping power (Sp) of the charged particles (electron, proton, α-particles, and carbon ions) in the glasses with kinetic energy within the spectrum: 0.015−15 MeV calculated using the ESTAR, PSTAR, ASTAR, and the SRIM Monte Carlo code also showed improvement WO3 content. The fast neutron removal cross section equals 0.099 cm-1 for TNB-0 W, while for TNB-3 W and TNB-10, the value is 0.1024 and 0.1047 cm-1 respectively Similarly, the (coherent and incoherent) scattering, absorption, and total cross section of thermal neutrons increased as the WO3 content of the glasses. Compared to some conventional shields, the present glasses present viable, transparent, and lead free alternatives for advanced shielding applications.