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At least 127 records · Page 7

ANALYSIS OF QUARTZ AND TEFLON SHIELDS FOR A PARTICULAR RE-ENTRY MISSION

The transient performance of ablation type heat protection shields is treated herein for the surface of a vehicle returning from outer space to the earth. The vehicle weighs 8640 kg, has a ballistic factor of 500 lb/ft2, re-enters with a speed of 11 km/sec at 120 km altitude, has a lift over drag ratio of -0.5, and is subjected to a maximum deceleration of 7.7 times the gravity constant. By use of well-known equations for the heat transfer and the mass transfer at a heated surface, a numerical calculation method is derived which, for the investigated ablation processes, yields exact transient solutions of the fundamental system of partial differential equations. The method is applied to various quartz shields and to one Teflon shield, which all evaporate so readily under the conditions of the problem at hand that practically no flow of molten shield material exists. The solutions also show comparatively small temperature changes parallel to the surface. The results show that the nose of the vehicle is cooled predominantly by the evaporation of the quartz or the Teflon; the rest of the vehicle's surface is cooled by radiation of the quartz or evaporation of the Teflon. The large mass transfer effects on the nose of the vehicle are detrimental since the resulting low surface temperatures prevent the radiative heat transfer out of the shield, which does not involve any mass loss, from being the desirable governing cooling factor.

ABLATING MATERIAL↗

Solubility and near-equilibrium dissolution rates of quartz in dilute NaCl solutions at 398-473 K under alkaline conditions.

The dissolution-precipitation of quartz controls porosity and permeability in many lithologies and may be the best studied mineral-water reaction. However, the rate of quartz-water reaction is relatively well characterized far from equilibrium but relatively unexplored near equilibrium. We present kinetic data for quartz as equilibrium is approached from undersaturation and more limited data on the approach from supersaturated conditions in 0.1 molal NaCl + NaOH + NaSiO(OH){sub 3} solutions with pH 8.2-9.7 at 398, 423, 448, and 473 K. We employed a potentiometric technique that allows precise determination of solution speciation within 2 kJ mol{sup -1} of equilibrium without the need for to perturb the system through physical sampling and chemical analysis. Slightly higher equilibrium solubilities between 423 and 473 K were found than reported in recent compilations. Apparent activation energies of 29 and 37 kJ mol{sup -1} are inferred for rates of dissolution at two surface sites with different values of connectedness: dissolution at Q{sup 1} or Q{sup 2} silicon sites, respectively. The dissolution mechanism varies with DG such that reactions at both sites control dissolution up until a critical free energy value above which only reactions at Q{sup 1} sites are important. When our near-equilibrium dissolution rates are extrapolated far from equilibrium, they agree within propagated uncertainty at 398 K with a recently published model by Bickmore et al. (2008). However, our extrapolated rates become progressively slower than model predictions with increasing temperature. Furthermore, we see no dependence of the postulated Q{sup 1} reaction rate on pH, and a poorly-constrained pH dependence of the postulated Q{sup 2} rate. Our slow extrapolated rates are presumably related to the increasing contribution of dissolution at Q{sup 3} sites far from equilibrium. The use of the potentiometric technique for rate measurement will yield both rate data and insights into the mechanisms of dissolution over a range of chemical affinity. Such measurements are needed to model the evolution of many natural systems quantitatively.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Quartz-hosted inclusions and embayments reveal storage, fluxing, and ascent of the Mesa Falls Tuff, Yellowstone

Quartz-hosted glasses from the Mesa Falls Tuff provide a geochemical window into the pre-eruptive magmatic system from one of Yellowstone's largest-volume caldera-forming eruptions. H 2 O and CO 2 concentrations, along with major and trace elements, were measured in both fully enclosed glass inclusions and partially enclosed embayments in the same quartz crystals. Major elements are largely consistent between the inclusions and embayments, except for K 2 O and Na 2 O. Of note, K 2 O is enriched by ~1 wt.% in embayment interiors relative to inclusions. Most trace elements are also enriched in the embayment interiors compared to inclusions from the same crystals. Fractionation trends of trace elements are consistent with ~30-60% crystallization. Quartz-hosted glass inclusions preserve 3.1±0.9 wt.% H 2 O and 493±227 ppm CO 2 whereas embayment interiors have 0.9±0.1 wt.% H 2 O and 399±229 ppm CO 2 . The CO 2 is roughly similar, but the distinct ~2 wt.% discrepancy between inclusion and embayment interior H 2 O contents may have been produced by CO 2 fluxing sourced from underplated Yellowstone basalts. H 2 O gradients within embayments are flat in their interiors and modified by sharp positive gradients near embayment exteriors which were produced by post-eruptive rehydration. CO 2 gradients occur as gently sloping concentration gradients that extend inward 150 to 250 μm from the embayment exterior. Finally, finite-difference 1D and 2D diffusion modeling indicates the distribution of H 2 O and CO 2 in embayments was produced by slow, fluid-saturated decompression that preceded rapid ascent during the caldera-forming eruption.

2D diffusion modeling↗

Impact of organic solutes on capillary phenomena in water-CO2-quartz systems

Hypothesis: The migration of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) injected into underground reservoirs as part of carbon capture and storage is influenced by organic contamination affecting mineral wettability. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of relevant systems that incorporate representative organic solutes allow detailed investigation of changes in fundamental interfacial and capillary properties. Experiments: We use MD simulations to explore the effects of four organic solutes (quinoline, decanoic acid, coronene, sorgoleone) on the wettability of quartz by water in the presence of scCO2. We examine the impacts of polar, alkyl, and aromatic moieties as well as fluid flow velocity at elevated temperatures and pressures. Findings: Organic molecules accumulate at the water-CO2 interface, where they distribute according to their size and functional groups. Certain organics penetrate the adsorbed water film at the quartz-CO2 interface, revealing two modes of hydrogen bonding between polar organic functional group, water, and quartz surface –OH groups. Interfacial energies and contact angles are minimally impacted by organic adsorption at the water-CO2 interface, possibly due to simultaneous CO2 desorption. Non- equilibrium MD simulations reveal that flow-induced redistribution of organic compounds modulates the radii of curvature of the advancing and receding water-CO2 interfaces. Our results indicate that organic adsorption on water surfaces is likely ubiquitous during multi-phase flow in soils and sedimen- tary rocks, with implications for the mobilization and transport of organic compounds.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Formation, migration, and clustering energies of interstitial He in α-quartz and β-cristobalite

Precipitation of implanted helium (He) is detrimental to many nuclear materials. A solid in which implanted He does not precipitate, but rather remains in solution and diffuses readily is potentially of interest for applications requiring resistance to He-induced damage. Here we use density functional theory (DFT) calculations to examine He interstitial formation, migration, and clustering energies in two SiO 2 polymorphs: α-quartz and β-cristobalite. Our findings show greater He solubility and mobility in the latter than in the former. This difference appears to be due primarily to the unlike atomic-level structures of α-quartz and β-cristobalite, rather than their differing densities. Our findings also suggest that He is unlikely to cluster in either material. The behavior of He in α-quartz and β-cristobalite, and similar forms of silica make them promising materials for further investigation for potential use in applications requiring resistance to He-induced damage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Clean quartz matters for cosmogenic nuclide analyses: An exploration of the importance of sample purity using the CRONUS-N reference material

We report reference materials are key for assessing inter-laboratory variability and measurement quality, and for placing analytical uncertainty bounds on sample analyses. Here, we investigate four years of data resulting from repeated processing of the CRONUS-N reference material for cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al analyses. At University of Vermont, we prepared a CRONUS-N aliquot with most of our sample batches from 2013 to 2017; these reference material samples were then distributed to four different accelerator mass spectrometry facilities, yielding 73 10 Be analyses and 58 26 Al analyses. We determine CRONUS-N 10 Be concentrations of (2.26 ± 0.14) x 10 5 atoms g -1 (n = 73, mean, 1 SD) and 26 Al concentrations of (1.00 ± 0.08) x 10 6 atoms g -1 (n = 58, mean, 1 SD). We find a reproducibility of 6.3% for 10 Be and 7.7% for 26 Al (relative standard deviations). We also document highly variable 27 Al and Mg concentrations and a 10 Be dispersion twice as large as the mean AMS analytic uncertainty. Analyses of the CRONUS-N material with and without density separation demonstrate that non-quartz minerals are present in the material and have a large impact on measured concentrations of 27 Al, 10 Be, and impurities; these non-quartz minerals represent only a very small portion of the total mass (0.6–0.8%) but have a disproportionally large effect on the resulting data. Our results highlight the importance of completely removing all non-quartz mineral phases from samples prior to Be/Al extraction for the determination of in situ cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al concentrations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Structure and Dynamics of Aqueous Electrolytes at Quartz (001) and (101) Surfaces

Here, understanding and describing reactivity at mineral-water interfaces such as ion adsorption, the kinetics of dissolution, or surface charge development depends on our ability to improve the accuracy of electrical double layer (EDL) models. While molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are routinely used to investigate the structure and energetics of adsorbed ions comprising the EDL, less attention is paid to their self-diffusion dynamics, which can uniquely inform on coupling to interfacial reactions. Here we use MD to investigate both the organization and diffusion dynamics of water and electrolyte ions (NaCl, KCl, CaCl 2 ) at hydroxylated quartz (001) and (101) surfaces, a comparison which allowed us to assess surface structural effects of corrugation and silanol density. We found that inner- versus outer-sphere complex formation depends on cation size and charge but not necessarily hydration energies. Participation of surface silanols in the hydration spheres of Na + and K + generally indicated their preference for inner-sphere complexation, but this depends strongly on the orientation of the surface considered through its influence over the organization and dynamics of adsorbed water layers. In particular, surface orientation substantially affects the diffusive behavior of the near-surface water. Na + was found to decrease the mobility of water in the first layer, consistent with an increasing frequency of hydrolysis implied by faster quartz dissolution rates observed in experiments via the well known salt effect. Our results are also in good agreement with the observed dissolution rate of quartz vs. surface adsorption strength measure by Dove and Nix. This study sets the stage for a forthcoming paper examining how the dynamics at quartz/electrolyte interfaces are influenced by externally applied electric fields.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Investigating the Quartz ($10\overline{10}$)/Water Interface using Classical and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics

Two different terminations of the ($10\overline{10}$) surface of quartz (α and β) interacting with water are simulated by classical (CMD) (using two different force fields) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) and compared with previously published X-ray reflectivity (XR) experiments. Radial distribution functions between hydroxyl and water show good agreement between AIMD and CMD using the ClayFF force field for both terminations. The Lopes et al. (Lopes, P. E. M.; Murashov, V.; Tazi, M.; Demchuk, E.; MacKerell, A. D. J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 27822792) force field (LFF), however, underestimates the extent of hydroxyl-water hydrogen bonding. The β termination is found to contain hydroxylhydroxyl hydrogen bonds; the quartz surface hydroxyl $-$ hydrogens and oxygens that hydrogen bond with each other exhibit greatly reduced hydrogen bonding to water. Conversely, the hydroxyl hydrogen and oxygens that are not hydrogen bonded to other surface hydroxyls but are connected to those that are show a considerable amount of hydrogen bonding to water. The electron density distribution of an annealed surface of quartz ($10\overline{10}$) obtained by XR is in qualitative agreement with electron densities calculated by CMD and AIMD. In all simulation methods, the interfacial water peak appears farther from the surface than observed by XR. Agreement among AIMD, LFF, and XR is observed for the relaxation of the near-surface atoms; however, ClayFF shows a larger discrepancy. Overall, results show that for both terminations of ($10\overline{10}$), LFF treats the near-surface structure more accurately whereas ClayFF treats the interfacial water structure more accurately. It is shown that the number of hydroxyl and water hydrogen bonds to the bridging Si$-$O$-$Si oxygens connecting the surface silica groups to the rest of the crystal is much greater for the α than the β termination. Lastly, it is suggested that this may play a role in the greater resistance to dissolution of the β termination than that of the α termination.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Direct experimental evidence for differing reactivity alterations of minerals following irradiation. The case of calcite and quartz

Concrete, used in the construction of nuclear power plants (NPPs), may be exposed to radiation emanating from the reactor core. Until recently, concrete has been assumed immune to radiation exposure. Direct evidence acquired on Ar+ -ion irradiated calcite and quartz indicates, on the contrary, that, such minerals, which constitute aggregates in concrete, may be significantly altered by irradiation. More specifically, while quartz undergoes disordering of its atomic structure resulting in a near complete lack of periodicity, calcite only experiences random rotations, and distortions of its carbonate groups. As a result, irradiated quartz shows a reduction in density of around 15%, and an increase in chemical reactivity, described by its dissolution rate, similar to a glassy silica. However, calcite shows little change in dissolution rate - although its density noted to reduce by 9%. These differences are correlated with the nature of bonds in these minerals, i.e., being dominantly ionic or covalent, and the rigidity of the mineral's atomic network that is characterized by the number of topological constraints (nc) that are imposed on the atoms in the network. Our outcomes have major implications on the durability of concrete structural elements formed with calcitic or quartzitic aggregates in nuclear power plants.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Developing quartz and molybdenum as impedance-matching standards in the 100-Mbar regime

We present quartz and molybdenum single-shock Hugoniot data to 62 Mbar and 120 Mbar, respectively. Quartz and molybdenum are attractive standard materials for Hugoniot equation-of-state impedance-matching studies. Quartz is advantageous because a reflecting shock front is supported above ~1 Mbar whose velocity can be tracked in situ to very high accuracy. Molybdenum's relatively high impedance makes it a more appropriate standard for other high-impedance material studies to avoid large departures from the standard principal Hugoniot upon release or reshock into the sample. Extensive measurements already exist for both materials up to about 10 Mbar and 10 eV, but new high-energy-density facilities and techniques have extended the experimentally accessible pressure range to >100 Mbar. The data presented here indicate which modern equation-of-state models can be reliably extended into newly-accessible experimental regimes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ablating nanoscale pores in crystalline quartz using laser-induced micro-plasmas in tri-layer structures

We demonstrate a novel approach for achieving rapid, consistent, and controllable micro-pore fabrication in single-crystalline quartz. These micro-pores are essential for applications in biology, i.e., studying ion channels in general and mechano-sensitive channels (MSC) in particular. The fabrication process consists of direct material ablation using pulsed UV light from a 193 nm excimer laser. These pulses ablate single-crystalline quartz chips by burning a laser-induced plasma in a tri-layer structure. Controllable plasma confinement and thus pore size is achieved by sandwiching a thin layer of a selected organic solution between the quartz chip and different substrates. This solution causes the confined micro-plasma to generate special ablation conditions, to create uniformly sized and shaped nanopores.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Removal of Non-Specifically Bound Proteins Using Rayleigh Waves Generated on ST-Quartz Substrates

Label-free biosensors are plagued by the issue of non-specific protein binding which negatively affects sensing parameters such as sensitivity, selectivity, and limit-of-detection. In the current work, we explore the possibility of using the Rayleigh waves in ST-Quartz devices to efficiently remove non-specifically bound proteins via acoustic streaming. A coupled-field finite element (FE) fluid structure interaction (FSI) model of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device based on ST-Quartz substrate in contact with a liquid loading was first used to predict trends in forces related to SAW-induced acoustic streaming. Based on model predictions, it is found that the computed SAW body force is sufficient to overcome adhesive forces between particles and a surface while lift and drag forces prevent reattachment for a range of SAW frequencies. We further performed experiments to validate the model predictions and observe that the excitation of Rayleigh SAWs removed non-specifically bound (NSB) antigens and antibodies from sensing and non-sensing regions, while rinsing and blocking agents were ineffective. An amplified RF signal applied to the device input disrupted the specific interactions between antigens and their capture antibody as well. ST-quartz allows propagation of Rayleigh and leaky SH-SAW waves in orthogonal directions. Thus, the results reported here could allow integration of three important biosensor functions on a single chip, i.e., removal of non-specific binding, mixing, and sensing in the liquid phase.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Shock-induced transition of quartz to stishovite.

The transformation of quartz to stishovite has been studied by X-ray and optical examination of a series of experimentally shock-loaded specimens of a quartz-copper mixture. Shock pressures of 68 to 260 kb and peak temperatures of 320 to 870 K were achieved. Stishovite was identified from quartz shock-loaded above 90 kb; the quantity increases with increasing pressure, but is not dependent on temperature. The formation of stishovite under shock conditions appears to be intimately related to a short-range order phase.

Kleeman, J. D.↗

Measurements of the short-term stability of quartz crystal resonators: A window on future developments in crystal oscillators

Recent measurements of the inherent short-term stability of quartz crystal resonators are presented. These measurements show that quartz resonators are much more stable for times less than 1s than the best available commercial quartz oscillators. A simple model appears to explain the noise mechanism in crystal controlled oscillators and points the way to design changes which should permit more than 2 orders of magnitude improvement in their short-term stability. Calculations show that a reference signal at 1 THz, derived from frequency multiplying a 5 MHz source with the above measured crystal stability, should have an instantaneous or fast linewidth of order 1 Hz. These calculations explicitly include the noise contribution of our present multiplier chains and are briefly outlined.

Walls, F. L.↗

Quartz ball value

Quartz ball valve consisting of two quartz joints sealed back-to-back and seated in quartz sockets perform at temperatures of up to 1,250 C and in corrosive chemical environments without contamination or degradation.

Goetz, C.↗

Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) monitor of contamination for LES-8/9

A Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) was used to monitor condensable contamination during the launching of two Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Satellites--LES-8 and LES-9. The QCM was installed on the dispenser truss and measured contamination by means of a frequency shift of a quartz crystal oscillator. By using a special crystal cut and a second reference quartz crystal, the sensor had extreme sensitivity and remarkable temperature independence. A 1-Hz frequency shift, which corresponds to 3.5 x 10 to the -9th power g/sq cm was resolved by the flight instrumentation.

Lynch, J. T.↗

Radiation sensitivity of quartz crystal oscillators experiment for the Long Duration Exposure Facility /LDEF/

A proposed experiment, which has been selected by NASA for inclusion in the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), is discussed. The objective of the experiment is to obtain information relevant to predicting and improving the radiation sensitivity of quartz oscillators. Specifically, the effect of exposing various grades of quartz oscillators to an orbital environment will be compared with observations obtained using the transmission electron microscope which suggest that the technique may be used to classify quartz-crystals according to their radiation sensitivity.

Venables, J. D.↗

Some new results on irradiation characteristics of synthetic quartz crystals and their application to radiation hardening

The paper reports some new results on irradiation characteristics of synthetic quartz crystals and their application to radiation hardening. The present results show how the frequency shift in quartz crystals can be influenced by heat processing prior to irradiation and how this procedure can lead to radiation hardening for obtaining precise frequencies and time intervals from quartz oscillators in space.

Bahadur, H.↗