181 research outputs found
Formation of a "Cluster Molecule" (C20)2 and its thermal stability
The possible formation of a "cluster molecule" (C20)2 from two single C20
fullerenes is studied by the tight-binding method. Several (C20)2 isomers in
which C20 fullerenes are bound by strong covalent forces and retain their
identity are found; actually, these C20 fullerenes play the role of "atoms" in
the "cluster molecule". The so-called open-[2+2] isomer has a minimum energy.
Its formation path and thermal stability at T = 2000 - 4000 K are analyzed in
detail. This isomer loses its molecular structure due to either the decay of
one of C20 fullerenes or the coalescence of two C20 fullerenes into a C40
cluster. The energy barriers for the metastable open-[2+2] configuration are
calculated to be U = 2 - 5 eV.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure
Decay and fusion as two different mechanisms of stability loss for the (C_20)_2 cluster dimer
The thermal stability of the (C_20)_2 cluster dimer consisting of two C_20
fullerenes is examined using a tight-binding approach. Molecular dynamics
simulations of the (C_20)_2 dimer at temperatures T = 2000 - 3500 K show that
the finite lifetime \tau of this metastable system is determined by two
fundamentally different processes, the decay of one of the C_20 fullerenes and
the fusion of two C_20 fullerenes into the C_40 cluster. The activation
energies for these processes Ea = 3.4 and 2.7 eV, respectively, as well as
their frequency factors, have been determined by analyzing the dependence of
\tau on T.Comment: Slightly modified version of the paper to appear in JETP Let
Stability of C20 fullerene chains
The stability of (C20)N chains with N = 3 - 7 is analyzed by numerical
simulation using a tight-binding potential and molecular dynamics. Various
channels of losing the cluster-chain structure of the (C20)N complexes are
observed, including the decay of C20 clusters, their coalescence, and the
separation of one C20 fullerene from the chain.Comment: To appear in JETP Letter
Structure and Stability of Two-Dimensional Complexes of C_20 Fullerenes
Two-dimensional complexes of C_20 fullerenes connected to each other by
covalent bonds have been studied. Several isomers with different types of
intercluster bonds have been revealed. The lifetimes of the (C_20)_MxM systems
with M = 2 and 3 have been directly calculated at T = 1800 - 3300 K making use
of molecular dynamics. It has been shown that these complexes lose their
periodic cluster structure due to either coalescence of two fullerenes C_20 or
decay of C_20 fullerenes. The activation energies of these processes exceed 2
eV.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure
Metabolic engineering of Rhizopus oryzae for the production of platform chemicals
Rhizopus oryzae is a filamentous fungus belonging to the Zygomycetes. It is among others known for its ability to produce the sustainable platform chemicals l-(+)-lactic acid, fumaric acid, and ethanol. During glycolysis, all fermentable carbon sources are metabolized to pyruvate and subsequently distributed over the pathways leading to the formation of these products. These platform chemicals are produced in high yields on a wide range of carbon sources. The yields are in excess of 85Â % of the theoretical yield for l-(+)-lactic acid and ethanol and over 65Â % for fumaric acid. The study and optimization of the metabolic pathways involved in the production of these compounds requires well-developed metabolic engineering tools and knowledge of the genetic makeup of this organism. This review focuses on the current metabolic engineering techniques available for R. oryzae and their application on the metabolic pathways of the main fermentation products
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