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Soil emissivity and reflectance spectra measurements.

We present an analysis of the laboratory reflectance and emissivity spectra of 11 soil samples collected on different field campaigns carried out over a diverse suite of test sites in Europe, North Africa, and South America from 2002 to 2008. Hemispherical reflectance spectra were measured from 2.0 to 14 microm with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) was used to determine the mineralogical phases of the soil samples. Emissivity spectra were obtained from the hemispherical reflectance measurements using Kirchhoffs law and compared with in situ radiance measurements obtained with a CIMEL Electronique CE312-2 thermal radiometer and converted to emissivity using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) temperature and emissivity separation algorithm. The CIMEL has five narrow bands at approximately the same positions as the ASTER. Results show a root mean square error typically below 0.015 between laboratory emissivity measurements and emissivity measurements derived from the field radiometer.

Crystalline microstructure of sepiolite influenced by grinding

The crystalline microstructure of ground sepiolite has been investigated. A reference sample of sepiolite and products of its comminution by dry grinding were studied through X-ray diffraction pattern analysis, specific surface measurements by nitrogen adsorption and complementary analysis of field emission scanning electron microscope images. A statistical model of polycrystals was applied to describe and determine the crystalline microstructure of the studied specimens. The model parameters characterizing the microstructure were prevalent crystallite shape, volume-weighted crystallite size distribution and second-order crystalline lattice strain distribution, and they were determined for each sample by modelling a selected part of the X-ray diffraction pattern and fitting the simulated pattern to a measured one. A strict correlation of microstructure parameters with grinding time and with specific surface magnitudes was observed. A parallelepiped with edge-length ratios almost independent of grinding time (for longer times) was found to be the predominant crystallite shape. The crystallite size distributions were found to be close to logarithmic normal ones, with the mean values decreasing with increasing grinding time and the standard-deviation-to-mean-value ratios approximately constant. The second-order crystalline lattice strain distributions were found to be close to some simple function with the mean value equal to zero, the mean deviation increasing with increasing grinding time and the standard-to-mean-deviation ratios approximately constant. It was demonstrated that the specific surface can be calculated on the basis of the microstructure characteristics. Some details of the relation between crystallites and crystalline grains were explained by comparing the results of analyses via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.

Tuning the size and shape of nano-boehmites by a free-additive hydrothermal method

A synthetic procedure allowing the control of boehmite micro and nanoparticles is presented. The proposed hydrothermal synthetic procedure is based on the control of three reaction parameters, the pH and temperature of precipitation of xerogels and the water/xerogel ratio for the hydrothermal process, carried out at 200 °C for 48 h. Results obtained by measurements on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicate that at pH 5 micro or nanorods of controlled length between ca. 300 and 50 nm were obtained depending on the temperature of precipitation of the xerogel (25 or 100 °C) and the water/xerogel ratio used (1/1, 6/1, 15/1). On the contrary, at pH 10, nanoplatelets with major basal dimensions ranging between 50 and 25 nm were prepared with the same values of the mentioned parameters. The implemented methodology for the particle-length determination based on the accumulation of measurements on TEM images was in good agreement with the results obtained from dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements for properly dispersed boehmite nanoparticles, validating its application in the study of these materials. On the basis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) broadening analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images and zeta potential (ζ) results, some details on the mechanism of formation of the final boehmites prepared by hydrothermal aging of precipitated xerogels have been proposed.

X-RAY DIFFRACTION LINE-BROADENING STUDY ON TWO VIBRATING, DRY-MILLING PROCEDURES IN KAOLINITES

Due to the great technological importance of the microstructure of kaolinite, characterizing its evolution during dry milling of kaolin and analyzing the microstructural information obtained from different methods were the main aims of this work. The microstructural alteration of kaolinite is evaluated by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy methods, comparing the results obtained and analyzing the correlations between them. The Warren-Averbach and Voigt-function methods of X-ray diffraction microstructural analysis have been applied successfully to the study of the effects of two different, vibrating-cup dry-milling configurations in the microstructure of kaolinite from the reflections corresponding to (001) diffracting planes. The crystallite-size estimates obtained from the two methods correlate well. Field emission scanning electron microscopy measurements of kaolinite particle thickness are in good agreement with the crystallite size estimated by the two methods. The Warren-Averbach method also provided estimates of the contribution to line broadening. Vibrating-cup milling has been proved to be a more efficient method of strain comminution of kaolinites than other milling techniques, reaching extensive microstructural degradation within seconds.

X-RAY DIFFRACTION LINE BROADENING ON VIBRATING DRY-MILLED TWO CROWS SEPIOLITE

A reference sample of sepiolite and products of its comminution by vibrating dry-milling have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) line-broadening analysis, complementary field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images and surface area measurements. The apparent crystallite sizes determined via XRD are in agreement with observations on FESEM images. The sepiolite aggregates consist of lath-shaped agglutinations of prisms and pinacoids elongated along [001], each lath including several crystallites in that direction. The surface area magnitudes are in the range of previous experimental measurements of other sepiolites. The results obtained show the effectiveness of vibro-milling as the procedure to use for the comminution of sepiolite.

Improvement of boehmite nanoparticles' aqueous dispersability by controlling their size, shape and crystallinity

In this work, results on the control of size, shape, crystallinity and aqueous dispersability of boehmite prepared by a hydrothermal process are reported. The two step synthetic procedure entailed the precipitation of a xerogel by adding NaOH until pH 10 to a solution of aluminum nitrate at 100 °C without or with additives such as tartaric acid and maltitol, and a subsequent hydrothermal treatment at 150 and 200 °C for different periods of time. The final materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and elemental analysis. The stability and other characteristics of the boehmite nanoparticle aqueous dispersions were determined by measuring the zeta potential (ζ), and the particle size distribution (PSD) by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Additive-free boehmite hydrothermally processed at 150 °C for 24 h displayed average lengths of around 20 nm. On increasing the temperature to 200 °C and the holding time up to 168 h, both the particle length increased (ca. 95 nm) and the particle size distribution widened. Comparatively, the growth of the boehmite nanoparticles in the samples prepared with additives was severely restricted up to 20% of the length of additive-free obtained particles, leading to narrower particle size distributions. Modifications in their shape were also allowed. Interestingly, improved aqueous dispersion stabilities were observed for samples prepared in the presence of an additive. A higher dispersability over a wide pH window was found in maltitol-grafted boehmite nanoparticle dispersions with hydrodynamic sizes closer to the single-particle sizes, as observed by TEM. The different formation and stabilization mechanisms of the boehmite nanoparticles obtained in the presence of additives through the synthetic procedure are also discussed.

V-containing ZrO2 inorganic yellow nano-pigments

In this work we report new results on the preparation, characterization and color properties of the inorganic yellow nano-pigmenting system based on monoclinic V–ZrO2 solid solution nanoparticles. The series of solid solution nanopowders were obtained by a polyol technique where the precipitates, obtained after heating at 180 °C ethylene glycol solutions of vanadyl acetonate and zirconium n-propoxide, were annealed at different temperatures up to 1300 °C for a short duration, in order to improve their crystallinity and control the crystalline form of the final nanoparticles. On annealing at around 450 °C highly crystalline tetragonal V-containing zirconia particles were developed, which transform into the monoclinic form of the V–ZrO2 solid solution after subsequent annealing at 800 °C. Interestingly, the final non-aggregated, well-shaped monoclinic zirconia solid solution particles heated even at as high temperatures as 1000 °C, were sized in the nanometric range displaying well-defined faces and edges. The chromatic coordinates of the prepared nano-pigments after annealing at different temperatures between 800 and 1300 °C indicated yellowness values comparable to conventionally prepared micrometric yellow pigments. The stability of the nano-pigments in aqueous dispersions estimated by zeta potential measurements was good with a low degree of particle aggregation. The used polyol-mediated synthesis can be up-scaled on an industrial level in the preparation of zirconia-based nano-pigmenting systems.

Crystalline microstructure of boehmites studied by multi-peak analysis of powder X-ray diffraction patterns

Nanocrystalline boehmite (gamma-aluminium-oxyhydroxide) is a material of industrial importance, the functionality of which follows from its crystalline microstructure. A procedure for preparing boehmite nanoparticles, comprising the formation of a precipitate by the alkalization of an aqueous solution of aluminium nitrate and subsequent hydrothermal aging, was previously elaborated. The application of an additive (maltitol or tartaric acid) to control the sizes and shapes of crystallites in the produced polycrystalline powder of boehmite was developed. The aim of this work is a study of the effect of the hydrothermal treatment time on nanocrystalline characteristics of boehmite, both in absence and in presence of the additive. The obtained materials were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) as principal technique and additionally by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The multi-peak analysis of powder XRD patterns was applied to determine the prevalent crystallite shape, volume-weighted crystallite size distribution, and second-order crystalline lattice strain distribution being principal quantitative characteristics of the crystalline microstructure. Based on these characteristics, three types of the microstructure correlated with the production procedures were observed and discussed in detail. The nanoparticles of boehmites were found to be monocrystalline grains with characteristic habits and sizes of order of ten nanometers weakly dependent on the hydrothermal treatment time.