Rounded atelectasis after exposure to refractory ceramic fibres (RCF)

Abstract Background Refractory Ceramic fibres (RCF) are man-made mineral fibres used in high performance thermal insulation applications. Analogous to asbestos fibres, RCF are respirable, show a pleural drift and can persist in human lung tissue for more than 20 years after exposure. Pleural changes such as localised or diffuse pleural thickening as well as pleural calcification were reported. Result A 45 years old man worked in high performance thermal insulation applications using refractory ceramic fibres (RCF) for almost 20 years. During a occupational medical prophylaxis to ensure early diagnosis of disorders caused by inhalation of aluminium silicate fibres with X-ray including high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), bilateral pleural thickening was shown and a pleural calcification next to a rounded atelectasis was detected. Asbestos exposure could be excluded. In pulmonary function test a restrictive lung pattern could be revealed. In work samples scanning electron microscopy (SEM) including energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) classified used fibres as aluminium silicate fibres. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed crystalline as well as amorphous fibres. Conclusions A comprehensive lung function analysis and in case of restrictive lung disorders additional CT scans are needed in RCF exposed workers in accordance to the guidelines for medical occupational examinations comparable to asbestos exposed workers.

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Rounded Atelectasis After Exposure to Refectory Ceramic Fibres - A Case Report

10.21203/rs.3.rs-93321/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ulrike Brückner ◽

Anne S. Schulze ◽

Marian Kampschulte ◽

Joachim Schneider

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Thermal Insulation ◽

High Performance ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Asbestos Exposure ◽

X Ray ◽

Pleural Thickening ◽

Refractory Ceramic ◽

Exposed Workers ◽

Aluminium Silicate

Abstract Background: Refractory Ceramic fibres (RCF) are man-made mineral fibres used in high performance thermal insulation applications and mostly to line furnaces, kilns and other industrial heaters. Analogous to asbestos fibres, RCF are respirable, show a pleural drift and can persist in human lung tissue for more than 20 years after exposure. Pleural changes such as localised or diffuse pleural thickening as well as pleural calcification were reported. Case presentation: A 45 years old man worked in high performance thermal insulation applications using refractory ceramic fibres (RCF) for almost 20 years. During a biennial occupational medical prophylaxis to ensure early diagnosis of disorders caused by inhalation of aluminium silicate fibres with X-ray including high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) showed bilateral pleural thickening and a pleural calcification next to a rounded atelectasis. Asbestos exposure could be excluded. In pulmonary function test a restrictive lung pattern could be revealed. In work samples scanning electron microscopy (SEM) including energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) classified aluminium silicate fibres. X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed crystalline as well as amorphous fibres. Conclusions: A comprehensive lung function analysis and in case of restrictive lung disorders additional CT scans are needed in RCF exposed workers in accordance to the guidelines for medical occupational examinations comparable to asbestos exposed workers.

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Thermal stability of Mg3Sb1.475Bi0.475Te0.05 high performance n-type thermoelectric investigated through powder X-ray diffraction and pair distribution function analysis

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c8ta06544f ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (35) ◽

pp. 17171-17176 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Lasse Rabøl Jørgensen ◽

Jiawei Zhang ◽

Christian Bonar Zeuthen ◽

Bo Brummerstedt Iversen

Keyword(s):

Thermal Stability ◽

Distribution Function ◽

Pair Distribution Function ◽

High Performance ◽

Function Analysis ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

Thermal Stability Of

The thermal stability of the high performance n-type Te-doped Mg3Sb1.5Bi0.5 system is investigated.

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Photocatalytic degradation of deoxynivalenol over dendritic-like α-Fe2O3 under visible light irradiation

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins11020105 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 105 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Huiting Wang ◽

Jin Mao ◽

Zhaowei Zhang ◽

Qi Zhang ◽

Liangxiao Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Visible Light ◽

Photocatalytic Degradation ◽

Visible Light Irradiation ◽

Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽

High Performance ◽

Synthesis Method ◽

Light Irradiation ◽

Trichothecene Mycotoxin ◽

X Ray

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a secondary metabolite produced by Fusarium, which is a trichothecene mycotoxin. As the main mycotoxin with high toxicity, wheat, barley, corn and their products are susceptible to contamination of DON. Due to the stability of this mycotoxin, traditional methods for DON reduction often require a strong oxidant, high temperature and high pressure with more energy consumption. Therefore, exploring green, efficient and environmentally friendly ways to degrade or reduce DON is a meaningful and challenging issue. Herein, a dendritic-like α-Fe2O3 was successfully prepared using a facile hydrothermal synthesis method at 160 °C, which was systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that dendritic-like α-Fe2O3 showed superior activity for the photocatalytic degradation of DON in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) and 90.3% DON (initial concentration of 4.0 μg/mL) could be reduced in 2 h. Most of all, the main possible intermediate products were proposed through high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) after the photocatalytic treatment. This work not only provides a green and promising way to mitigate mycotoxin contamination but also may present useful information for future studies.

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Ni2P/rGO/NF Nanosheets As a Bifunctional High-Performance Electrocatalyst for Water Splitting

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13030744 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 744 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jinyu Huang ◽

Feifei Li ◽

Baozhong Liu ◽

Peng Zhang

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Water Splitting ◽

Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽

High Performance ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Splitting Method ◽

Bifunctional Catalyst ◽

Strong Activity ◽

X Ray ◽

Transmission Electron

The hydrogen generated via the water splitting method is restricted by the high level of theoretical potential exhibited by the anode. The work focuses on synthesizing a bifunctional catalyst with a high efficiency, that is, a nickel phosphide doped with the reduced graphene oxide nanosheets supported on the Ni foam (Ni2P/rGO/NF), via the hydrothermal approach together with the calcination approach specific to the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The Raman, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), as well as elemental mapping, are adopted to study the composition and morphology possessed by Ni2P/rGO/NF. The electrochemical testing is performed by constructing a parallel two-electrode electrolyzer (Ni2P/rGO/NF||Ni2P/rGO/NF). Ni2P/rGO/NF||Ni2P/rGO/NF needs a voltage of only 1.676 V for driving 10 mA/cm2, which is extremely close to Pt/C/NF||IrO2/NF (1.502 V). It is possible to maintain the current density for no less than 30 hours. It can be demonstrated that Ni2P/rGO/NF||Ni2P/rGO/NF has commercial feasibility, relying on the strong activity and high stability.

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Fabrication of BaTiO3-Loaded Graphene Nanosheets-Based Polyarylene Ether Nitrile Nanocomposites with Enhanced Dielectric and Crystallization Properties

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano9121667 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1667 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shuning Liu ◽

Chenchen Liu ◽

Yong You ◽

Yajie Wang ◽

Renbo Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Dielectric Constant ◽

Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽

High Performance ◽

Graphene Nanosheets ◽

Zinc Phthalocyanine ◽

Organic Layer ◽

X Ray ◽

Polyarylene Ether Nitrile ◽

Crystallization Properties

In this paper, barium titanate@zinc phthalocyanine (BT@ZnPc) and graphene oxide (GO) hybrids (BT@ZnPc-GO) connected by calcium ions are prepared by electrostatic adsorption, and then introduced into polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) to obtain composites with enhanced dielectric and crystallization properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results confirm the successful fabrication of the BT@ZnPc-GO. BT@ZnPc-GO and PEN composites (BT@ZnPc-GO/PENs) are obtained through the solution-casting method. BT@ZnPc-GO demonstrates well compatibility with PEN due to its unique structure and the organic layer of ZnPc at the periphery of BT. On the other hand, BT and GO contribute a high dielectric constant of the composites obtained. In addition, the BT@ZnPc-GO can be used as a nucleating agent to promote the crystallization of the nanocomposites. As a result, The BT@ZnPc-GO/PEN exhibits a dielectric constant of 6.4 at 1 kHz and crystallinity of 21.03% after being isothermally treated at 280 °C for 2 h at the GO content of 0.75 wt %. All these results indicate that the hybrid nanofiller BT@ZnPc-GO can be an effective additive for preparing high-performance PEN-based nanocomposites.

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Study the Effect of HAp Content in PLA/HAp Microsphere on the Efficiency of Drug (Clindamycin) Loading Process

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.834-836.559 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 834-836 ◽

pp. 559-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Juntima Pradid ◽

Wirunya Keawwattana ◽

Siree Tangbunsuk

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Thermal Process ◽

High Performance ◽

Core Shell ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

Ultrasound Field ◽

Sample Characterization ◽

Core Shell Structure ◽

Scanning Electron

An ultrasound field was applied to obtain Polylactic acid (PLA)/Hydroxyapatite (HAp) biocomposite microspheres with the specific core-shell structure to be applied as a carrier of a drug. The hydroxyapatite was obtained from crocodile bone by thermal process. Sample characterization was achieved by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). As the result, the PLA/HAp loading clindamycin with different polymer-to-ceramic part wt.% ratio (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, and 70:30) showed the agglomeration of sphere-like particles. In addition, the loading efficiency of clindamycin increased with increasing HAp content up to 20%.

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Focused X-Ray Histological Analyses to Reveal Asbestos Fibers and Bodies in Lungs and Pleura of Asbestos-Exposed Subjects

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927616011685 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 1062-1071 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lorella Pascolo ◽

Alessandra Gianoncelli ◽

Clara Rizzardi ◽

Martin de Jonge ◽

Daryl Howard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fluorescence Microscopy ◽

High Performance ◽

Asbestos Exposure ◽

Chemical Imaging ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

X Ray ◽

Asbestos Fibers ◽

High Calcium ◽

Set Up ◽

Microscopy Techniques

AbstractAsbestos bodies are the histological hallmarks of asbestos exposure. Both conventional and advanced techniques are used to evaluate abundance and composition in histological samples. We previously reported the possibility of using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) for analyzing the chemical composition of asbestos bodies directly in lung tissue samples. Here we applied a high-performance synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF) set-up that could allow new protocols for fast monitoring of the occurrence of asbestos bodies in large histological sections, improving investigation of the related chemical changes. A combination of synchrotron X-ray transmission and fluorescence microscopy techniques at different energies at three distinct synchrotrons was used to characterize asbestos in paraffinated lung tissues. The fast chemical imaging of the XFM beamline (Australian Synchrotron) demonstrates that asbestos bodies can be rapidly and efficiently identified as co-localization of high calcium and iron, the most abundant elements of these formations inside tissues (Fe up to 10% w/w; Ca up to 1%). By following iron presence, we were also able to hint at small asbestos fibers in pleural spaces. XRF at lower energy and at higher spatial resolution was afterwards performed to better define small fibers. These analyses may predispose for future protocols to be set with laboratory instruments.

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Incorporating N Atoms into SnO2 Nanostructure as an Approach to Enhance Gas Sensing Property for Acetone

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano9030445 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 445 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Xiangfeng Guan ◽

Yongjing Wang ◽

Peihui Luo ◽

Yunlong Yu ◽

Dagui Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Gas Sensor ◽

Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽

High Performance ◽

Gas Sensing ◽

Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy ◽

Limit Of Detection ◽

Low Cost ◽

X Ray ◽

Sno2 Nanostructure

The development of high-performance acetone gas sensor is of great significance for environmental protection and personal safety. SnO2 has been intensively applied in chemical sensing areas, because of its low cost, high mobility of electrons, and good chemical stability. Herein, we incorporated nitrogen atoms into the SnO2 nanostructure by simple solvothermal and subsequent calcination to improve gas sensing property for acetone. The crystallization, morphology, element composition, and microstructure of as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. It has been found that N-incorporating resulted in decreased crystallite size, reduced band-gap width, increased surface oxygen vacancies, enlarged surface area, and narrowed pore size distribution. When evaluated as gas sensor, nitrogen-incorporated SnO2 nanostructure exhibited excellent sensitivity for acetone gas at the optimal operating temperature of 300 °C with high sensor response (Rair/Rgas − 1 = 357) and low limit of detection (7 ppb). The nitrogen-incorporated SnO2 gas sensor shows a good selectivity to acetone in the interfering gases of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, hydrogen, and methane. Furthermore, the possible gas-sensing mechanism of N-incorporated SnO2 toward acetone has been carefully discussed.

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ZnS NANOFLOWERS ON GRAPHENE FOR USE AS A HIGH-PERFORMANCE PHOTOCATALYST

NANO ◽

10.1142/s1793292014500970 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 09 (08) ◽

pp. 1450097 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

ZENG BIN ◽

LONG HUI

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽

High Performance ◽

Dye Degradation ◽

Uv Light ◽

Xps Spectra ◽

X Ray ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Photocatalytic Activities ◽

Potential Applications

The nanocomposites of graphene loaded– ZnS nanoflowers (GR– ZnS ) had been successfully prepared. Materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. A possible formation mechanism of this architecture was proposed. The experimental results revealed that these nanoflowers exhibited excellent UV-light photocatalytic activities for pollutant methyl orange (MO) dye degradation. These new nanostructures were expected to show considerable potential applications in the water treatment.

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Facile and Rapid Synthesis of Ultrafine PtPd Bimetallic Nanoparticles and Their High Performance toward Methanol Electrooxidation

Journal of Nanomaterials ◽

10.1155/2014/496249 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tiantian Xia ◽

Hanrui Shen ◽

Gang Chang ◽

Yuting Zhang ◽

Honghui Shu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽

High Performance ◽

Direct Methanol Fuel Cells ◽

Bimetallic Nanoparticles ◽

Methanol Electrooxidation ◽

X Ray ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Direct Methanol

Uniform and sub-10 nm size bimetallic PtPd nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized via a simple and facile method without using any surfactants at an ambient temperature. As a green and clean reductive agent, ascorbic acid (AA) was employed for the coreduction of K2PtCl4and K2PdCl4in aqueous solution. The morphology, composition, and structure of PtPd NPs had been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission high resolution transmission electron microscopy (FE-HRTEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS). Comparing with both the monometallic Pt and Pd, the as-prepared alloy nanoparticles show superior electrocatalytic activity and better tolerance against poisoning by intermediates generated during methanol electrooxidation, which makes them a promising electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Meanwhile, the green and simple approach could be easily extended to the manufacture of bimetallic or trimetallic alloy nanomaterials.

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