One-Pot Direct Mechanochemical Silicon Replacement of Sodium Fluorosilicate into Sodium Fluorozirconate and Functionalization of Graphite for Enhanced Sodium-Ion Storage.

Efficient sodium ion storage in graphite is as yet unattainable, because of the thermodynamic instability of sodium ion intercalates-graphite compounds. In this work, sodium fluorozirconate (Na3ZrF7, SFZ) functionalized graphite (SFZ-G) is designed and prepared by the in situ mechanochemical silicon (Si) replacement of sodium fluorosilicate (Na2SiF6, SFS) and functionalization of graphite at the same time. During the mechanochemical process, the atomic Si in SFS is directly replaced by atomic zirconium (Zr) from the zirconium oxide (ZrO2) balls and container in the presence of graphite, forming SFZ-G. The resulting SFZ-G, working as an anode material for sodium ion storage, shows a significantly enhanced capacity of 418.7 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C-rate, compared to pristine graphite (35 mAh g-1) and simply ball-milled graphite (BM-G, 200 mAh g-1). In addition, the SFZ-G exhibits stable sodium-ion storage performance with 86% of its initial capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 2.0 C-rate.

Comparative Evaluation of Fluoride Release and Compressive Strength of Biodentine Modified Using Sodium Fluorosilicate and Hydrofluoric Acid: An In-Vitro Study.

Introduction Calcium trisilicate derivatives have widely been used as dentin and enamel substitutes recently. These cements have excellent biological properties, but they do not show fluoride release. The release of fluoride from dental materials is a very important property of a material in restorative applications as fluoride confers antibacterial and anti-cariogenic properties. This study thus attempts to incorporate fluoride in the form of sodium fluorosilicate and hydrofluoric acid into Biodentine to assess its fluoride-releasing properties. Methods Biodentine was modified by adding 7% sodium fluorosilicate in the powder and 10% hydrofluoric acid to the liquid. Fluoride release was measured using a sodium 2-(parasulfophenylazo)-1,8-dihydroxy-3,6-naphthalenedisulfonate (SPADNS) spectrophotometer after 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. The compressive strength of the modified material was measured using a universal testing machine. Results Fluoride release was found to be higher in the group that had both powder and liquid modified than in groups in which either of the components were modified. The difference was found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion Incorporation of fluoride in Biodentine is feasible with acceptable release of fluoride without adversely affecting the compressive strength of the Biodentine.