Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides in Electrochemical Batteries and Solar Cells

The advent of new nanomaterials has resulted in dramatic developments in the field of energy production and storage. Due to their unique structure and properties, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are the most promising from the list of materials recently introduced in the field. The amazing progress in the use TMDs for energy storage and production inspired us to review the recent research on TMD-based catalysts and electrode materials. In this report, we examine TMDs in a variety of electrochemical batteries and solar cells with special focus on MoS2 as the most studied and used TMD material

One-Pot Hydrogen Cyanide-Based Prebiotic Synthesis of Canonical Nucleobases and Glycine Initiated by High-Velocity Impacts on Early Earth

Chemical environments of young planets are assumed to be significantly influenced by impacts of bodies lingering after the dissolution of the protoplanetary disk. We explore the chemical consequences of impacts of these bodies under reducing planetary atmospheres dominated by carbon monoxide, methane, and molecular nitrogen. Impacts were simulated by using a terawatt high-power laser system. Our experimental results show that one-pot impact-plasma-initiated synthesis of all the RNA canonical nucleobases and the simplest amino acid glycine is possible in this type of atmosphere in the presence of montmorillonite. This one-pot synthesis begins with de novo formation of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and proceeds through intermediates such as cyanoacetylene and urea

Morphology of Meteorite Surfaces Ablated by High-Power Lasers: Review and Applications

Under controlled laboratory conditions, lasers represent a source of energy with well-defined parameters suitable for mimicking phenomena such as ablation, disintegration, and plasma formation processes that take place during the hypervelocity atmospheric entry of meteoroids. Furthermore, lasers have also been proposed for employment in future space exploration and planetary defense in a wide range of potential applications. This highlights the importance of an experimental investigation of lasers’ interaction with real samples of interplanetary matter: meteorite specimens. We summarize the results of numerous meteorite laser ablation experiments performed by several laser sources—a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser, the multislab ceramic Yb:YAG Bivoj laser, and the iodine laser known as PALS (Prague Asterix Laser System). The differences in the ablation spots’ morphology and their dependence on the laser parameters are examined via optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and profilometry in the context of the meteorite properties and the physical characteristics of laser-induced plasma

Simulating asteroid impacts and meteor events by high-power lasers : from the laboratory to spaceborne missions

Peer reviewe

Simulating asteroid impacts and meteor events by high-power lasers: from the laboratory to spaceborne missions

Peer reviewed: TrueMeteor plasmas and impact events are complex, dynamic natural phenomena. Simulating these processes in the laboratory is, however, a challenge. The technique of laser induced dielectric breakdown was first used for this purpose almost 50 years ago. Since then, laser-based experiments have helped to simulate high energy processes in the Tunguska and Chicxulub impact events, heavy bombardment on the early Earth, prebiotic chemical evolution, space weathering of celestial bodies and meteor plasma. This review summarizes the current level of knowledge and outlines possible paths of future development.</jats:p