Low-dimensional network formation in molten sodium carbonate

Molten carbonates are highly inviscid liquids characterized by low melting points and high solubility of rare earth elements and volatile molecules. An understanding of the structure and related properties of these intriguing liquids has been limited to date. We report the results of a study of molten sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) which combines high energy X-ray diffraction, containerless techniques and computer simulation to provide insight into the liquid structure. Total structure factors (Fx(Q)) are collected on the laser-heated carbonate spheres suspended in flowing gases of varying composition in an aerodynamic levitation furnace. The respective partial structure factor contributions to Fx(Q) are obtained by performing molecular dynamics simulations treating the carbonate anions as flexible entities. The carbonate liquid structure is found to be heavily temperature-dependent. At low temperatures a low-dimensional carbonate chain network forms, at T = 1100 K for example ~55% of the C atoms form part of a chain. The mean chain lengths decrease as temperature is increased and as the chains become shorter the rotation of the carbonate anions becomes more rapid enhancing the diffusion of Na+ ions

Standing waves for acoustic levitation

Standing waves are the most popular method to achieve acoustic trapping. Particles with greater acoustic impedance than the propagation medium will be trapped at the pressure nodes of a standing wave. Acoustic trapping can be used to hold particles of various materials and sizes, without the need of a close-loop controlling system. Acoustic levitation is a helpful and versatile tool for biomaterials and chemistry, with applications in spectroscopy and lab-on-a-droplet procedures. In this chapter, multiple methods are presented to simulate the acoustic field generated by one or multiple emitters. From the acoustic field, models such as the Gor'kov potential or the Flux Integral are applied to calculate the force exerted on the levitated particles. The position and angle of the acoustic emitters play a fundamental role, thus we analyse commonly used configurations such as emitter and reflector, two opposed emitters, or arrangements using phased arrays

The structure of liquid fluorosulfuric acid investigated by neutron diffraction

The structure of the liquid fluorosulfuric acid was investigated by neutron diffraction. The determination of the first-order difference function in neutron diffraction for a complex superacid was reported. The variation of the area of the peak with concentration showed that the mol% H2O presented in FSO3H to be virtually zero by extrapolation

The study of disorder and nanocrystallinity in C-S-H, supplementary cementitious materials and geopolymers using pair distribution function analysis

Significant progress was achieved with the application of Rietveld method to characterize the crystalline phases in portland cement paste. However, to obtain detailed information on the amorphous or poorly crystalline phases, it is necessary to analyze the total scattering data. The pair distribution function (PDF) method has been successfully used in the study of liquids and amorphous solids. The method takes the Sine Fourier transform of the measured structure factor over a wide momentum transfer range, providing a direct measure of the probability of finding an atom surrounding a central atom at a radial distance away. The obtained experimental characteristic distances can be also used to validate the predictions by the theoretical models, such as, molecular dynamics, ab initio simulations and density functional theory. The paper summarizes recent results of PDF analysis on silica fume, rice husk ash, fly ash. ASR gel, C-S-H and geopolymers