Optimum control of the in-use performance of talc-based compositions. It is important to improve the quality of their Talcom body powder, baby powder and other cosmetic products involving talc. The areas that can and need to be improved are shining characteristics, assessing the slip properties as well as developing the cosmetic chemistry of talc and other additives. The proposed project will generate: a) simple but reliable test methods for measuring slip and shine, b) methods for control of t ....Optimum control of the in-use performance of talc-based compositions. It is important to improve the quality of their Talcom body powder, baby powder and other cosmetic products involving talc. The areas that can and need to be improved are shining characteristics, assessing the slip properties as well as developing the cosmetic chemistry of talc and other additives. The proposed project will generate: a) simple but reliable test methods for measuring slip and shine, b) methods for control of the physical and chemical characteristics of talc blends, c) mathematical model(s) for property and process control, which is useful to improvement of the final talc properties and in-use service.Read moreRead less
Nickel iron sulphide mineralogy: the link between mineral transformations and microstructure and magnetic properties. This project is about measuring the rate at which minerals transform or react and how metal diffusion controls these reactions. Metal diffusion in sulphides is much more rapid that in silicates and is still very significant at low temperatures (< 300 C). In this project, we are trying to measure the rate at which the principal ore of nickel, pentlandite, transforms to violarite ....Nickel iron sulphide mineralogy: the link between mineral transformations and microstructure and magnetic properties. This project is about measuring the rate at which minerals transform or react and how metal diffusion controls these reactions. Metal diffusion in sulphides is much more rapid that in silicates and is still very significant at low temperatures (< 300 C). In this project, we are trying to measure the rate at which the principal ore of nickel, pentlandite, transforms to violarite, another important nickel rich sulphide that forms from it in the upper parts of ore bodies. The arrangement of the metal atoms in these minerals is sensitive to temperature, so it may be used as a geothermometer.Read moreRead less