Since 1982 standard calibration materials recommended for respirable crystalline silica analysis by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) P7 Infrared Method and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Analytical Method 7500 have undergone minor changes in size distribution. However, a critical assumption has been made that the crystal...

Several samples of mesoporous silica were prepared via sol-gel chemistry in the presence of CTAB as template with variation of stirring intensity and aging time, ratios of CTAB/SiO2 and NH4OH/H2O in synthesis mixture. Effects of aging temperature, hydrothermal treatment and ter-Butanol addition to the synthesis mixture on the textural properties of obtained samples were also studied. Results of...

Nanomaterials are used for various biomedical applications because they are often more effective than conventional materials. Recently, however, it has become clear that the protein corona that forms on the surface of nanomaterials when they make contact with biological fluids, such as blood, influences the pharmacokinetics and biological responses induced by the nanomaterials. Therefore, when ...

Silica exists in Rice husk, an agriculture waste, as a naturally occurring phase. In first step, acidic pre-treatment and calcination of the rice husk were performed to obtain nano-silica, in which various sizes of the nano-silica, totally with sizes under 80 nm, were achieved. Second, to reduce nano-silica to elemental Si and subsequently formation of the composite, Mg used as the reducing age...

At present there is a pressing need to find an environmentally friendly grouting material for the construction of tunnels. Silica nanoparticles hold great potential of replacing the organic molecule based grouting materials currently used for this purpose. Chemically, silica nanoparticles are similar to natural silicates which are essential components of rocks and soil. Moreover, suspensions of...

We describe the synthesis and the physical properties of suspensions of colloidal silicon and silica rodlike particles. In addition to pure silicon and pure silica rods, we have also synthesized silicon rods with a silica shell and silica rods with a fluorescent silica layer. Pre-patterned p-type (100) silicon wafers were electrochemically etched in electrolyte solutions containing hydrogen flu...

Evaporation of silica-rich geothermal waters is one of the main abiotic drivers of the formation of silica sinters around hot springs. An important role in sinter structural development is also played by the indigenous microbial communities, which are fossilized and eventually encased in the silica matrix. The combination of these two factors results in a wide variety of sinter structures and f...

The excitation of propagating surface plasmons SPs on a silver-silica interface by an array of ellipsoidal silver nanoparticles is investigated using numerical simulations as a function of particle volume for three different nanoparticle aspect ratios with representative resonance frequencies. We find that while the SP amplitude depends sensitively on particle volume for each selected aspect ra...

In this study, a novel approach for preparation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-doped silica nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution is presented. GFP was chosen as a model protein due to its autofluorescence. Protein-doped nanoparticles have a high application potential in the field of intracellular protein delivery. In addition, fluorescently labelled particles can be used for bioima...

Occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica has the ability to cause silicosis. Silica is also suspected of being associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases. The specific mechanism(s) of pathogenesis for silicosis and these other potential health concerns remains unclear. This investigation measured dissolution rates of ...