Enhanced Superconductivity by Rare-earth Metal-doping in Phenanthrene

We successfully synthesized La- and Sm-doped phenanthrene powder samples and discovered superconductivity at $T_{\rm c}$ around 6 K in them. The $T_{\rm c}$s are 6.1 K for LaPhenanthrene and 6.0 K for SmPhenanthrene, which are enhanced by about 1 K and 0.5 K compared to those in $A_3$Phenanthrene ($A$=K and Rb) and in $Ae_{1.5}$Phenanthrene ($Ae$ = Sr and Ba) superconductors respectively. The superconductive shielding fractions for LaPhenanthrene and SmPhenanthrene are 46.1%$and 49.8$%$at 2 K, respectively. The little effect of the doping of the magnetic ion Sm$^{3+}$on$T_c$and the positive pressure dependence coefficient on$T_{\rm c}$strongly suggests unconventional superconductivity in the doped phenanthrene superconductors. The charge transfer to organic molecules from dopants of La and Sm induces a redshift of 7 cm$^{-1}$per electron for the mode at 1441 cm$^{-1}$in the Raman spectra, which is almost the same as those observed in$A_3$Phenanthrene ($A$=K and Rb) and$Ae_{1.5}$Phenanthrene ($Ae$ = Sr and Ba) superconductors.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Thermal Conductivity of Crumb Rubber as Partial Sand Replacement and Recycled Aggregates as Partial Coarse Aggregate Replacement in Concrete

Disposal of waste tire rubber has become a major environmental issue worldwide and is increasing day by day, especially in Malaysia where carbon emission is among the highest in the world. Therefore, recycled waste materials are being used as construction materials in order to create new innovative products that are able to mitigate environmental pollution, reduce the cost of construction and improve the properties of concrete. This study discusses the utilisation of crumb rubber and recycled aggregates in concrete construction and the objective of this study is to determine the thermal conductivity of crumb rubber and compare the optimum strength of concrete materials. 12 cube samples measuring 200 200 100 mm containing different percentages of crumb rubber (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5%) as fine aggregate substitute and 50% of recycled aggregates as coarse aggregate substitute were produced. The concrete grade used for these specimens is grade 35. The curing process was conducted on the samples to achieve the standard strength of concrete in 7 and 28 days. Therefore, the real strength of concrete was measured after the curing process. A slump test was conducted to determine the properties of crumb rubber. In addition, the samples were examined using the guarded hot box method to obtain the optimum percentage of crumb rubber as partial sand replacement in concrete for thermal conductivity. The results show that thermal conductivity (k-value) decreased slightly with the increase in crumb rubber content. However, the quality of concrete also slightly increased as the percentage of crumb rubber content increased. Lastly, based on the results, 5% of crumb rubber and 50% of recycled aggregates were suggested as the optimum percentages to be used in concrete as it achieved the lowest thermal conductivity compared to conventional concrete

Low-temperature formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Titan’s atmosphere

The detection of benzene in Titan’s atmosphere led to the emergence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as potential nucleation agents triggering the growth of Titan’s orange-brownish haze layers. However, the fundamental mechanisms leading to the formation of PAHs in Titan’s low-temperature atmosphere have remained elusive. We provide persuasive evidence through laboratory experiments and computations that prototype PAHs like anthracene and phenanthrene (C14H10) are synthesized via barrierless reactions involving naphthyl radicals (C10H7•) with vinylacetylene (CH2=CH–C≡CH) in low-temperature environments. These elementary reactions are rapid, have no entrance barriers, and synthesize anthracene and phenanthrene via van der Waals complexes and submerged barriers. This facile route to anthracene and phenanthrene—potential building blocks to complex PAHs and aerosols in Titan—signifies a critical shift in the perception that PAHs can only be formed under high-temperature conditions, providing a detailed understanding of the chemistry of Titan’s atmosphere by untangling elementary reactions on the most fundamental level

Gas-Phase Synthesis of Triphenylene (C18 H12 ).

For the last decades, the hydrogen-abstraction-acetylene-addition (HACA) mechanism has been widely invoked to rationalize the high-temperature synthesis of PAHs as detected in carbonaceous meteorites (CM) and proposed to exist in the interstellar medium (ISM). By unravelling the chemistry of the 9-phenanthrenyl radical ([C14 H9 ]. ) with vinylacetylene (C4 H4 ), we present the first compelling evidence of a barrier-less pathway leading to a prototype tetracyclic PAH - triphenylene (C18 H12 ) - via an unconventional hydrogen abstraction-vinylacetylene addition (HAVA) mechanism operational at temperatures as low as 10 K. The barrier-less, exoergic nature of the reaction reveals HAVA as a versatile reaction mechanism that may drive molecular mass growth processes to PAHs and even two-dimensional, graphene-type nanostructures in cold environments in deep space thus leading to a better understanding of the carbon chemistry in our universe through the untangling of elementary reactions on the most fundamental level

Mycelium-enhanced bacterial degradation of organic pollutants under bioavailability restrictions

This work examines the role of mycelia in enhancing the degradation by attached bacteria of organic pollutants that have poor bioavailability. Two oomycetes, Pythium oligandrum and Pythium aphanidermatum, were selected as producers of mycelial networks, while Mycobacterium gilvum VM552 served as a model polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading bacterium. The experiments consisted of bacterial cultures exposed to a non-disturbed non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) layer containing a heavy fuel spiked with 14C-labeled phenanthrene that were incubated in the presence or absence of the mycelia of the oomycetes in both shaking and static conditions. At the end of the incubation, the changes in the total alkane and PAH contents in the NAPL residue were quantified. The results revealed that with shaking and the absence of mycelia, the strain VM552 grew by utilizing the bulk of alkanes and PAHs in the fuel; however, biofilm formation was incipient and phenanthrene was mineralized following zero-order kinetics, due to bioavailability limitation. The addition of mycelia favored biofilm formation and dramatically enhanced the mineralization of phenanthrene, up to 30 times greater than the rate without mycelia, possibly by providing a physical support to bacterial colonization and by supplying nutrients at the NAPL/water interface. The results in the static condition were very different because the bacterial strain alone degraded phenanthrene with sigmoidal kinetics but could not degrade alkanes or the bulk of PAHs. We suggest that bacteria/oomycete interactions should be considered not only in the design of new inoculants in bioremediation, but also in biodegradation assessments of chemicals present in natural environments