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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Hafnium nitride with thorium phosphide structure: physical properties and an assessment of the Hf-N, Zr-N, and Ti-N phase diagrams at high pressures and temperatures.

The physical properties of the new cubic phase of Hf3N4 as well as of isomorphic Zr3N4 and Ti3N4 are studied using first-principles calculations. Hf3N4, Zr3N4, and Ti3N4 are semiconductors with band gaps of 1.8, 1.1, and 0.6 eV, respectively. The band structure is characterized by the simultaneous presence of steep and extremely flat bands. The calculated shear modulus G indicates that the cubic Hf3N4 will be harder than the mononitride HfN. At ambient conditions, the cubic modifications of M3N4 (M=Hf, Zr, Ti) are metastable with respect to orthorhombic M3N4 phases, but the orthorhombic phases of Hf3N4 and Zr3N4 are stable with respect to the mononitrides and nitrogen.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Enhanced diffusion of uranium and thorium linked to crystal plasticity in zircon.

The effects of crystal-plasticity on the U-Th-Pb system in zircon is studied by quantitative microstructural and microchemical analysis of a large zircon grain collected from pyroxenite of the Lewisian Complex, Scotland. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping reveals a c.18 degree variation in crystallographic orientation that comprises both a gradual change in orientation and a series of discrete low-angle (<4 degrees) boundaries. These microstructural data are consistent with crystal-plastic deformation of zircon associated with the formation and migration of dislocations. A heterogeneous pattern of dark cathodoluminescence, with the darkest domains coinciding with low-angle boundaries, mimics the deformation microstructure identified by EBSD. Geochemical data collected using the Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) shows a positive correlation between concentrations of the elements U, Th and Pb (ranging from 20-60 ppm, 30-110 ppm, and 14-36 ppm, respectively) and Th/U ratio (1.13-1.8) with the deformation microstructure. The highest measured concentrations and Th/U coincide with low-angle boundaries. This enrichment is interpreted to reflect enhanced bulk diffusion of U and Th due to the formation and migration of high-diffusivity dislocations. 207Pb/206Pb ages for individual analyses show no significant variation across the grain, and define a concordant, combined mean age of 2451 +/- 14 Ma. This indicates that the grain was deformed shortly after initial crystallization, most probably during retrograde Inverian metamorphism at amphibolite facies conditions. The elevated Th over U and consistent 207Pb/206Pb ages indicates that deformation most likely occurred in the presence of a late-stage magmatic fluid that drove an increase in the Th/U during deformation. The relative enrichment of Th over U implies that Th/U ratio may not always be a robust indicator of crystallization environment. This study provides the first evidence of deformation-related modification of the U-Th system in zircon and has fundamental implications for the application and interpretation of zircon trace element data.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

Biosorption of radionuclides by fungal biomass.

Four kinds of bioreactor were evaluated for thorium removal by fungal biomass. Static-bed or stirred-bed bioreactors did not give satisfactory thorium removal probably because of poor mixing. An air-lift bioreactor removed approximately 90-95% of the thorium supplied over extended time periods and exhibited a well-defined breakthrough point after biosorbent saturation. The air-lift bioreactor promoted efficient circulation and effective contact between the thorium solution and the mycelial pellets. Of several fungal species tested, Rhizopus arrhizus and Aspergillus niger were the most effective biosorbents with loading capacities of 0.5 and 0.6 mmol g-1 respectively (116 and 138 mg g-1) at an inflow thorium concentration of 3 mmol dm-3. The efficiency of thorium biosorption by A. niger was markedly reduced in the presence of other inorganic solutes while thorium biosorption by R. arrhizus was relatively unaffected. Air-lift bioreactors containing R. arrhizus biomass could effectively remove thorium from acidic solution (1 mol dm-3 HNO3) over a wide range of initial thorium concentrations (0.1-3 mmol dm-3). The biotechnological application and significance of these results are discussed in the wider context of fungal biosorption of radionuclides.

Absorption↗
PubMed2004

Coprecipitation of Th(4+) and the purified extracellular polysaccharide produced by bacterium Bradyrhizobium (Chamaecytisus) BGA-1.

The soil bacterium Bradyrhizobium (Chamaecytisus) strain BGA-1 produces an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) that, in the presence of Fe(3+), Al(3+) or Th(4+) solutions, forms a gel-like precipitate composed of polysaccharide, protein, lipopolysaccharide and the metal. Precipitation of the main component of the EPS, the extracellular polysaccharide, and thorium was studied. The precipitate was stable, but redissolved at pH values below 3.0 or in the presence of 10 mM EDTA. In the precipitate, the ratio thorium/basic repeating unit of the polysaccharide ranged from 0.4 to 0.8 mol/mol. Soluble polysaccharide-thorium complexes were not found, and larger polysaccharide molecules were precipitated in preference to smaller ones. Kinetic studies showed a non-linear dependence of the precipitate on the concentrations of both thorium and polysaccharide. The behaviors of the purified polysaccharide and of whole EPS with the thorium-containing precipitate were compared. The results suggested that EPS components other than polysaccharide are able to modify the precipitating ability of the polysaccharide. Thus, whole EPS is a better substrate than the purified polysaccharide for the removal of thorium from its solutions.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed1986

A geochemical basis for endomyocardial fibrosis.

In a search for geochemical factors that could play a role in the pathogenesis of tropical endomyocardial fibrosis, endomyocardial tissue samples obtained from patients at necropsy or operation were analysed for major elements present in laterite and monazite, which are important soil constituents of Kerala State of India. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for detecting iron, silicon, aluminium, zinc, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, and manganese and neutron activation analysis for thorium. Compared with control samples from victims of fatal accidents, an excess of thorium, sodium, and calcium and a deficiency of magnesium were present in samples from patients. It has been shown earlier that the staple diets of people in Kerala have high concentrations of thorium, and these data show that thorium can become concentrated in cardiac tissues. It is speculated that thorium excess in conjunction with magnesium deficiency may play a role in the causation of tropical endomyocardial fibrosis.

Endomyocardial Fibrosis↗
PubMed2002

Microdistribution of alpha particles in pathological sections of tissues from thorotrast patients detected by imaging plate autoradiography.

Thorotrast is a colloidal suspension of radioactive (232)ThO(2) that naturally emits alpha particles (90%), beta particles and gamma rays (10%). Thorotrast was used as a radiographic contrast agent in the 1930s-1950s; it caused liver cancer several decades after injection because of its life-long deposition and exposure. Determination of the amount and the distribution of radioactive thorium are essential for assessment of radiation risks. We visualized alpha particles on ordinary archival tissue sections using an imaging plate and a BAS5000 image analyzer. Furthermore, we confirmed that the imaging system is sensitive enough to detect alpha particles and accurate in measuring the total amount of thorium deposited in the organ from a single tissue section. This method revealed that the amount of thorium deposited in tumor tissue is correlated to that in non-tumor tissue. Thorotrast deposition was not associated with DNA damage determined by histochemistry. In combination with histological findings, it is suggested that radioactive thorium always migrates within the deposited organs by macrophages, and that the organs are evenly exposed to alpha particles.

Aged↗