Assessment of pulmonary toxicity of MgO nanoparticles in rats

In this study, we have evaluated the pulmonary toxicity of MgO nanoparticles (MgO NPs) in rats following their exposure. NPs in phosphate buffered saline + 1% Tween 80 were exposed via intratracheal instillation at a doses of 1 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg into rat lungs and evaluated for various tissue damage markers like alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and histopathology of lungs at 1, 7, and 30 days of post‐exposure intervals. A dose‐dependant increase in ALP and LDH activity was observed in BAL fluids of rat lungs than sham control at all post‐exposure periods (P <0.05), and a dose‐dependant infiltration of interstitial lymphocytes, peribronchiolar lymphocytic infiltration, and dilated and/or congested vessels at 1 day post‐exposure period, worsened at 1 week period, and were reduced at 1 month at histology, indicating the pulmonary toxicity of MgO NPs. In conclusion, MgO NPs exposure produced a dose‐dependent pulmonary toxicity in rats and was comparable with that of Quartz particles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 308–314, 2015.     

柠檬酸溶胶-凝胶纳米MgO的分散及其抗菌性能的研究

本研究采用柠檬酸溶胶-凝胶法制备了大小50nm-100nm、均匀分散的纳米氧化镁粉末。从静电稳定机制着手，采用六偏磷酸钠为分散剂对制备的纳米MgO进行分散处理，研究了六偏磷酸钠的含量、溶液pH值对分散效果的影响。在此基础上，以大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌为细菌模型，并以微米级MgO为对照，分别采用MIC法和细菌总数测定法对纳米MgO的抗菌性能进行了定性和定量研究。研究结果显示：当六偏磷酸钠用量为0．2wt％，pH=8时MgO的悬浮液稳定性较好。纳米MgO对大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌均呈现出良好的抗菌活性，而微米级MgO不具有抗菌活性。     

XPS Study on Calcining Mixtures of Brucite with Titania

In this work, we studied the phases in a Mg-Ti-O system using a 1:1 formulation of MgO:TiO₂, mixing synthetic brucite of Mexican origin with TiO₂ microparticles of high purity, with a heat treatment at 1100 °C for 1 h. Due to its valence electrons, TiO₂ can contribute to the sintering process to improve density in MgO products. The raw materials and formulation by XPS and X-RD techniques were characterized. The results demonstrate the presence of different oxidation states in titania and the formation of different oxides in the Mg-Ti-O system when mixed and calcined at 1100 °C; additionally, we estimated the formation of vacancies in the crystal lattice during the transformation from hexagonal brucite to magnesia with a cubic structure centered on the faces. Its thermal behavior is indicated by the MgO-TiO₂ phase diagram.     

A First-Principles Study on the Hydration Behavior of (MgO)n Clusters and the Effect Mechanism of Anti-Hydration Agents

Magnesia-based refractory is widely used in high-temperature industries; its easy hydration is, however, a key concern in refractory processing. Understanding the hydration mechanism of MgO will help in solving its hydration problem. Herein, the hydration behavior of (MgO)_n (n = 1–6) at the molecular level and the effect mechanisms of several anti-hydration agents on the hydration of (MgO)₄ were investigated with first-principles calculations. The results indicated that the following: (1) The smaller the (MgO)_n cluster size, the more favorable the hydration of MgO and the tendency to convert into Mg(OH)₂ crystal; (2) Anti-hydration agents can coordinate with the unsaturated Mg atom of (MgO)₄ to form a bond, increasing the coordination number of Mg, thus reducing its activity when reacting with H₂O; (3) The greater the number of −COOH groups and the longer the chain length in the anti-hydration agents, the better its effect of inhibiting the hydration of MgO. These findings could enhance the understanding of the mechanism of hydration of MgO and provide theoretical guidance for the design of novel anti-hydration agents.     

The Combined Effects of Magnesium Oxide and Inulin on Intestinal Microbiota and Cecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids

Constipation is a common condition that occurs in many people worldwide. While magnesium oxide (MgO) is often used as the first-line drug for chronic constipation in Japan, dietary fiber intake is also recommended. Dietary fiber is fermented by microbiota to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs are involved in regulating systemic physiological functions and circadian rhythm. We examined the effect of combining MgO and the water-soluble dietary fiber, inulin, on cecal SCFA concentration and microbiota in mice. We also examined the MgO administration timing effect on cecal SCFAs. The cecal SCFA concentrations were measured by gas chromatography, and the microbiota was determined using next-generation sequencing. Inulin intake decreased cecal pH and increased cecal SCFA concentrations while combining MgO increased the cecal pH lowered by inulin and decreased the cecal SCFA concentrations elevated by inulin. When inulin and MgO were combined, significant changes in the microbiota composition were observed compared with inulin alone. The MgO effect on the cecal acetic acid concentration was less when administered at ZT12 than at ZT0. In conclusion, this study suggests that MgO affects cecal SCFA and microbiota during inulin feeding, and the effect on acetic acid concentration is time-dependent.     

Research and Development of Novel Refractory of MgO Doped with ZrO2 Nanoparticles for Copper Slag Resistance

This study investigates the corrosion mechanism on 100 wt.% MgO and 95 wt.% MgO with 5 wt.% nano-ZrO₂ ceramic composites. First, MgO powder and powder mixtures (MgO + nano ZrO₂) were uniaxially and isostatically pressed; then, they were sintered at 1650 °C. Corrosion by copper slag was studied in sintered samples. Physical properties, microstructure, and penetration of the slag in the refractory were studied. Results reveal that ZrO₂ nanoparticles enhanced the samples’ densification, promoting grain growth due to diffusion of vacancies during the sintering process. Additionally, magnesia bricks were severely corroded, if compared with those doped with nano-ZrO₂, mainly due to the dissolution of MgO grains during the chemical attack by copper slag.     

Quantifying the Improvement in Dielectric Properties of BaSrTiO3-Based Ceramics by Adding MgO

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃, BT) is the main raw material of multilayer ceramic capacitors. As thinner layers of dielectric elements require smaller BT grain diameters, BT-MgO composites have been widely studied owing to the plasticity of MgO and its inhibition of grain growth. However, further improvements of the dielectric properties of the BT-MgO system are still urgently needed. Herein, composite ceramics of Ba_0.7Sr_0.3Ti_0.9925Tm_0.01O₃ (BST)-x mol% MgO (x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) were prepared. The dielectric constant of BST-1 mol% MgO at room temperature was approximately 3800, which was 1/3 times higher than that of BT-MgO composite ceramics. The dielectric loss was less than 0.004 and 2/3 that of BT-MgO composite ceramics. The Curie temperature of BST doped with MgO was below 0 °C. The anomalous increase in dielectric constant was caused by the co-doping of Sr and Tm with BT, while the reduced dielectric loss was due to the uniform dispersion of MgO at grain boundaries, which hinders grain growth. The Curie temperature shift was mainly due to accumulated oxygen vacancies. Thus, this work provides new solutions to further improve the dielectric properties of the BT-MgO system, including changing the doping elements and adjusting the doping ratio.     

中间相沥青用作镁炭砖粘结剂的可行性研究

提出以中间相沥青替代酚醛树脂作镁炭砖粘剂来提高镁炭砖的质量。通过正交实验选定了用作粘结剂的中间相沥青，并探讨了中间相沥青溶剂分级组分对镁炭砖型块耐压强度的影响。两种粘结对比实验表明，中间相沥青结合型块的高温耐压性能优于酚醛树脂结合型块。上述实验结果具有一致性。     

The Effect of In Situ Synthesis of MgO Nanoparticles on the Thermal Properties of Ternary Nitrate

The multiple eutectic nitrates with a low melting point are widely used in the field of solar thermal utilization due to their good thermophysical properties. The addition of nanoparticles can improve the heat transfer and heat storage performance of nitrate. This article explored the effect of MgO nanoparticles on the thermal properties of ternary eutectic nitrates. As a result of the decomposition reaction of the Mg(OH)₂ precursor at high temperature, MgO nanoparticles were synthesized in situ in the LiNO₃–NaNO₃–KNO₃ ternary eutectic nitrate system. XRD and Raman results showed that MgO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized in situ in the ternary nitrate system. SEM and EDS results showed no obvious agglomeration. The specific heat capacity of the modified salt is significantly increased. When the content of MgO nanoparticles is 2 wt %, the specific heat of the modified salt in the solid phase and the specific heat in the liquid phase increased by 51.54% and 44.50%, respectively. The heat transfer performance of the modified salt is also significantly improved. When the content of MgO nanoparticles is 5 wt %, the thermal diffusion coefficient of the modified salt is increased by 39.3%. This study also discussed the enhancement mechanism of the specific heat capacity of the molten salt by the nanoparticles mainly due to the higher specific surface energy of MgO and the semi-solid layer that formed between the MgO nanoparticles and the molten salt.