DNA Nucleobase Synthesis at Titan Atmosphere Analog by Soft X-rays

Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, has an atmosphere chiefly made up of N2 and CH4 and includes traces of many simple organic compounds. This atmosphere also partly consists of haze and aerosol particles which during the last 4.5 gigayears have been processed by electric discharges, ions, and ionizing photons, being slowly deposited over the Titan surface. In this work, we investigate the possible effects produced by soft X-rays (and secondary electrons) on Titan aerosol analogs in an attempt to simulate some prebiotic photochemistry. The experiments have been performed inside a high vacuum chamber coupled to the soft X-ray spectroscopy beamline at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Source, Campinas, Brazil. In-situ sample analyses were performed by a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The infrared spectra have presented several organic molecules, including nitriles and aromatic CN compounds. After the irradiation, the brownish-orange organic residue (tholin) was analyzed ex-situ by gas chromatographic (GC/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) techniques, revealing the presence of adenine (C5H5N5), one of the constituents of the DNA molecule. This confirms previous results which showed that the organic chemistry on the Titan surface can be very complex and extremely rich in prebiotic compounds. Molecules like these on the early Earth have found a place to allow life (as we know) to flourish.Comment: To appear in Journal of Physical Chemistry A.; Number of pages: 6; Number of Figures: 5; Number of Tables: 1; Number of references:49; Full paper at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jp902824

Low temperature processing of solution-derived ceria deposits on flat surfaces of 3D-printed polyamide

Doped ceria deposits have been prepared on 3D-printed polyamide-12 components starting from inkjet-compatible solutions in an attempt to functionalize the surface of the plastic part, followed by a low temperature decomposition process at 160¿°C in air. The non-continuous deposits were characterized by simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and evolved gas analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. After thermal treatment, the deposits are still clearly visible at the surface of the polymer. However, no crystallinity of the ceria is observed, in contrast to identical low temperature processing on inert substrates such as glass where nanoparticle ceria aggregates were produced. This is tentatively explained by the chemically-reducing character of the polyamide, and in particular to CO and hydrocarbon gases released during the heating process, which would continuously induce the reduction of Ce4+ to Ce3+ at the low temperature of 160¿°C, influencing the non-detection of crystalline ceria.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Performance characterization of a PCM storage tank

This paper presents the experimental results of a versatile latent heat storage tank capable of working with organic phase-change materials within a temperature range from -10 °C to 100 °C. The tank contains a paraffin with a phase-change temperature between 3 °C and 8 °C. Firstly, this study focuses on explaining the design criteria which were followed to build the tank. Secondly, a full experimental characterization of the performance has been carried out. The enthalpy temperature curve, the specific heat and density have been measured for the tested paraffin. The performance of the tank has been analyzed in terms of the vertical stratification within the PCM, the effectiveness, the reacted fraction and the total heat transfer of the tank. The results indicate that up to 78% of the maximum capacity is reached within 4 h. The performance is mainly controlled by the supply temperature and the effect of the mass flow rate is almost negligible given that all the tests are in laminar flow.The authors from the Polytechnic University of Valencia gratefully acknowledge ACCIONA Infraestructuras for the funding of the LHTS installation. The authors from University of Zaragoza would like to thank the Spanish Government for the partial funding of this work within the framework of research projects ENE2008-06687-C02-02 and ENE2011-28269-C03-01.López Navarro, A.; Biosca Taronger, J.; Corberán Salvador, JM.; Peñalosa, C.; Lázaro, A.; Dolado, P.; Payá Herrero, J. (2014). Performance characterization of a PCM storage tank. Applied Energy. 119:151-162. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.12.041S15116211

Controlling Magnetization Reversal and Hyperthermia Efficiency in Core-Shell Iron-Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles by Tuning the Interphase Coupling

Magnetic particle hyperthermia, in which colloidal nanostructures are exposed to an alternating magnetic field, is a promising approach to cancer therapy. Unfortunately, the clinical efficacy of hyperthermia has not yet been optimized. Consequently, routes to improve magnetic particle hyperthermia, such as designing hybrid structures comprised of different phase materials, are actively pursued. Here, we demonstrate enhanced hyperthermia efficiency in relatively large spherical Fe/Fe-oxide core-shell nanoparticles through the manipulation of interactions between the core and shell phases. Experimental results on representative samples with diameters in the range 30-80 nm indicate a direct correlation of hysteresis losses to the observed heating with a maximum efficiency of around 0.9 kW/g. The absolute particle size, the core-shell ratio, and the interposition of a thin wüstite interlayer are shown to have powerful effects on the specific absorption rate. By comparing our measurements to micromagnetic calculations, we have unveiled the occurrence of topologically nontrivial magnetization reversal modes under which interparticle interactions become negligible, aggregates formation is minimized and the energy that is converted into heat is increased. This information has been overlooked until date and is in stark contrast to the existing knowledge on homogeneous particles

Crystal structures of superconducting sodium intercalates of hafnium nitride chloride

Abstract Sodium intercalation compounds of HfNCl have been prepared at room temperature in naphtyl sodium solutions in tetrahydrofuran and their crystal structure has been investigated by Rietveld refinement using X-ray powder diffraction data and high-resolution electron microscopy. The structure of two intercalates with space group R3m and lattice parameters a = 3.58131(6) Å , c = 57.752(6) Å , and a = 3.58791(8) Å , c = 29.6785(17) Å is reported, corresponding to the stages 2 and 1, respectively, of Na x HfNCl. For the stage 2 phase an ordered model is presented, showing two crystallographically independent [HfNCl] units with an alternation of the Hf-Hf interlayer distance along the c-axis, according with the occupation by sodium atoms of one out of two van der Waals gaps. Both stages 1 and 2 phases are superconducting with critical temperatures between 20 and 24 K, they coexist in different samples with proportions depending on the synthesis conditions, and show a variation in c spacing that can be correlated with the sodium stoichiometry. High-resolution electron microscopy images of the host and intercalated samples show bending of the HfNCl bilayers as well as stacking faults in some regions, which coexist in the same crystal with ordered domains.