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Prolonged triboluminescence in clays and other mineralsSamples of various clays and minerals were ground or fractured and monitored with a liquid scintillation spectrometer in order to obtain triboluminescent decay curves. Kaolinite samples displayed several million counts/min after grinding, with a surface area emission estimated at tens of billions of photons/sq cm of surface. The photon production rates varied with the origin of the sample, and kaolinite continually yielded higher production rates than bentonite. The addition of water to the samples slightly increased the count rate of emitted light, while the addition of the fluorescent molecule substance tryptofan significantly enhanced the count rate. Freezing smears of kaolinite and montmorillonite in liquid nitrogen and in a salt ice mixture also induced triboluminescence in the montmorillonite. A possible connection between powdery triboluminescent materials formed in mining industries and respiratory disorders among miners is suggested.
Document ID
19820046760
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Lahav, N.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Coyne, L. M.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Lawless, J. G.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1982
Publication Information
Publication: Clays and Clay Minerals
Volume: 30
Issue: 1, 19
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
82A30295
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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