Crystallization of CO2 ice and the absence of amorphous CO2 ice in space

CO2 ultrathin film growth on a monolayer of CO2 adsorbed on the NaCl(100) surface: sticking coefficient and IR-optical signatures in the ν3 region

CO2 ultrathin molecular films were grown onto a preadsorbed monolayer NaCl(100)/p(2 × 1)-CO2 at 40 K. Polarization infrared spectroscopy (PIRS) reveals that so-prepared films have better quality than directly grown films. A sticking probability of 0.74 ± 0.1 was deduced from the integrated IR absorption. The presence of the monolayer doublet in the film spectra suggests a Stranski-Krastanov film growth with locally varying film thicknesses on the surface. In the region of the ν3(12C16O2) band, fine structure was observed between the well-known transverse-optical (TO) and longitudinal optical (LO) bands. Two independent computational models were applied to analyze the nature of the observed fine structure. Both pair potential calculations in combination with a vibrational exciton model as well as plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) in combination with phonon calculations of IR intensities at the Γ-point reveal that a weak mode visible in s-polarization and p-polarization originates from a vibrational film excitation located near the substrate interface. A series of p-polarized weak bands appearing and partly disappearing upon film-growth is assigned to film stacks of unique local thickness.

Flux and fluence effects on the vacuum-UV photodesorption and photoprocessing of CO2 ices

CO2 is a major component of the icy mantles surrounding dust grains in planet and star formation regions. Understanding its photodesorption is crucial for explaining gas phase abundances in the coldest environments of the interstellar medium irradiated by vacuum-UV (VUV) photons. Photodesorption yields determined experimentally from CO2 samples grown at low temperatures (T = 15 K) have been found to be very sensitive to experimental methods and conditions. Several mechanisms have been suggested for explaining the desorption of CO2, O2 and CO from CO2 ices. In the present study, the cross-sections characterizing the dynamics of photodesorption as a function of photon fluence (determined from released molecules in the gas phase) and of ice composition modification (determined in situ in the solid phase) are compared for the first time for different photon flux conditions (from 7.3 × 1012 photon per s cm-2 to 2.2× 1014 photon per s cm-2) using monochromatic synchrotron radiation in the VUV range (on the DESIRS beamline at SOLEIL). This approach reveals that CO and O2 desorptions are decorrelated from that of CO2. CO and O2 photodesorption yields depend on photon flux conditions and can be linked to surface chemistry. In contrast, the photodesorption yield of CO2 is independent of the photon flux conditions and can be linked to bulk ice chemical modification, consistently with indirect desorption induced by an electronic transition (DIET) process.

Thermal behavior of astrophysical amorphous molecular ices

Ice is a major component of astrophysical environments - from interstellar molecular clouds through protoplanetary disks to evolved solar systems. Ice and complex organic matter coexist in these environments as well, and it is thought primordial ice brought the molecules of life to Earth four billion years ago, which could have kickstarted the origin of life on Earth. To understand the journey of ice and organics from their origins to becoming a part of evolved planetary systems, it is important to complement high spatial and spectral resolution telescopes such as JWST with laboratory experimental studies that provide deeper insight into the processes that occur in these astrophysical environments. Our laboratory studies are aimed at providing this knowledge. In this article we present simultaneous mass spectrometric and infrared spectroscopic investigation on how molecular ice mixtures behave at different temperatures and how this information is critical to interpret observational data from protoplanetary disks as well as comets. We find that amorphous to crystalline water ice transformation is the most critical phenomenon that differentiates between outgassing of trapped volatiles such as CO2vs. outgassing of pure molecular ice domains of the same in a mixed molecular ice. Crystalline water ice is found to trap only a small fraction of other volatiles (<5%), indicating ice grain composition in astrophysical and planetary environments must be different depending on whether the ice is in amorphous phase or transformed into crystalline phase, even if the crystalline ice undergoes radiation-induced amorphization subsequently. Crystallization of water ice is a key differentiator for many ices in astronomical environments as well as in our Solar System.

State-resolved studies of CO2 sticking to CO2 ice

Internal vibrations may affect the adsorption, scattering, and reactions of molecules impinging onto a surface. The energy of the ν 3 antisymmetric stretch vibration of CO2 slightly exceeds the desorption energy of CO2 bound to CO2 ice. We use supersonic molecular beam techniques and rovibrationally state-resolved excitation to determine whether this vibration affects condensation of gas phase CO2 to its ice. We detect sticking and CO2 ice formation using RAIRS and quantify the sticking probability using the King and Wells method with modulation of the vibrational excitation and Fourier transform based detection. We find that the influence of this vibration on the structure of the formed ice and on the sticking probability is negligible under our conditions. Based on our detection limit, we quantify the weighted average sticking probability at approximately 0.9 and the difference between the state-resolved and weighted average sticking probability as below 0.03%.

Induced Migration of CO2 from Hydrate Cages to Amorphous Solid Water under Ultrahigh Vacuum and Cryogenic Conditions

Restricted migration of reactive species limits chemical transformations within interstellar and cometary ices. We report the migration of CO₂ from clathrate hydrate (CH) cages to amorphous solid water (ASW) in the presence of tetrahydrofuran (THF) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and cryogenic conditions. Thermal annealing of sequentially deposited CO₂ and H₂O ice, CO₂@H₂O, to 90 K resulted in the partitioning of CO₂ in 5¹² and 5¹²6² CH cages (CO₂@5¹², CO₂@5¹²6²). However, upon preparing a composite ice film composed of CO₂@5¹², CO₂@5¹²6² and THF distributed in the water matrix at 90 K, and annealing the mixture for 6 h at 130 K produced mixed CO₂-THF CH, where THF occupied the 5¹²6⁴ cages (THF@5¹²6⁴) exclusively while CO₂ in 5¹²6² cages (CO₂@5¹²6²) got transferred to the ASW matrix and CO₂ in the 5¹² cages (CO₂@5¹²) remained as is. This cage-matrix exchange may create a more conducive environment for chemical transformations in interstellar environments.

Defect-induced tuning of polarity-dependent adsorption in hydrophobic-hydrophilic UiO-66

Structural defects in metal-organic frameworks can be exploited to tune material properties. In the case of UiO-66 material, they may change its nature from hydrophobic to hydrophilic and therefore affect the mechanism of adsorption of polar and non-polar molecules. In this work, we focused on understanding this mechanism during adsorption of molecules with different dipole moments, using the standard volumetric adsorption measurements, IR spectroscopy, DFT + D calculations, and Monte Carlo calculations. Average occupation profiles showed that polar and nonpolar molecules change their preferences for adsorption sites. Hence, defects in the structure can be used to tune the adsorption properties of the MOF as well as to control the position of the adsorbates within the micropores of UiO-66.

A Geoscientific Review on CO and CO2 Ices in the Outer Solar System

Ground-based telescopes and space exploration have provided outstanding observations of the complexity of icy planetary surfaces. This work presents our review of the varying nature of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) ices from the cold traps on the Moon to Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. This review is organized into five parts. First, we review the mineral physics (e.g., rheology) relevant to these environments. Next, we review the radiation-induced chemical processes and the current interpretation of spectral signatures. The third section discusses the nature and distribution of CO2 in the giant planetary systems of Jupiter and Saturn, which are much better understood than the satellites of Uranus and Neptune, discussed in the subsequent section. The final sections focus on Pluto in comparison to Triton, having mainly CO, and a brief overview of cometary materials. We find that CO2 ices exist on many of these icy bodies by way of magnetospheric influence, while intermixing into solid ices with CH4 (methane) and N2 (nitrogen) out to Triton and Pluto. Such radiative mechanisms or intermixing can provide a wide diversity of icy surfaces, though we conclude where further experimental research of these ices is still needed.

Pyrolysis characteristics of cathode from spent lithium-ion batteries using advanced TG-FTIR-GC/MS analysis

Thermal treatment offers an alternative method for the separation of Al foil and cathode materials during spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) recycling. In this work, the pyrolysis behavior of cathode from spent LIBs was investigated using advanced thermogravimetric Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (TG-FTIR-GC/MS) method. The fate of fluorine present in spent batteries was probed as well. TG analysis showed that the cathode decomposition displayed a three-stage process. The temperatures of maximum mass loss rate were located at 470 °C and 599 °C, respectively. FTIR analysis revealed that the release of CO₂ increased as the temperature rose from 195 to 928 °C. However, the evolution of H₂O showed a decreasing trend when the temperature increased to above 599 °C. The release of fluoride derivatives also exhibited a decreasing trend, and they were not detected after temperatures increasing to above 470 °C. GC-MS analysis indicated that the release of H₂O and CO displayed a similar trend, with larger releasing intensity at the first two stages. The evolution of 1,4-difluorobenzene and 1,3,5-trifluorobenzene also displayed a similar trend-larger releasing intensity at the first two stages. However, the release of CO₂ showed a different trend, with the largest release intensity at the third stage, as did the release of 1,2,4-trifluorobenzene, with the release mainly focused at the temperature of 300-400 °C. The release intensities of 1,2,4-trifluorobenzene and 1,3,5-trifluorobenzene were comparable, although smaller than that of 1,4-difluorobenzene. This study will offer practical support for the large-scale recycling of spent LIBs.

Systematic investigation of CO2 : NH3 ice mixtures using mid-IR and VUV spectroscopy - part 1: thermal processing

The adjustment of experimental parameters in interstellar ice analogues can have profound effects on molecular synthesis within an ice system. We demonstrated this by systematically investigating the stoichiometric mixing ratios of CO2 : NH3 ices as a function of thermal processing using mid-IR and VUV spectroscopy. We observed that the type of CO2 bonding environment was dependent on the different stoichiometric mixing ratios and that this pre-determined the NH3 crystallite structure after phase change. The thermal reactivity of the ices was linked to the different chemical and physical properties of the stoichiometric ratios. Our results provide new details into the chemical and physical properties of the different stoichiometric CO2 : NH3 ices enhancing our understanding of the thermally induced molecular synthesis within this ice system.

Iron assisted formation of CO2 over condensed CO and its relevance to interstellar chemistry

Catalytic conversion of CO to CO₂ assisted by neutral iron atoms has been investigated in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) under cryogenic conditions (10 K).

Characterizing Interstellar Medium, Planetary Surface and Deep Environments by Spectroscopic Techniques Using Unique Simulation Chambers at Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB)

At present, the study of diverse habitable environments of astrobiological interest has become a major challenge. Due to the obvious technical and economical limitations on in situ exploration, laboratory simulations are one of the most feasible research options to make advances both in several astrobiologically interesting environments and in developing a consistent description of the origin of life. With this objective in mind, we applied vacuum and high pressure technology to the design of versatile simulation chambers devoted to the simulation of the interstellar medium, planetary atmospheres conditions and high-pressure environments. These simulation facilities are especially appropriate for studying the physical, chemical and biological changes induced in a particular sample by in situ irradiation or physical parameters in a controlled environment. Furthermore, the implementation of several spectroscopies, such as infrared, Raman, ultraviolet, etc., to study solids, and mass spectrometry to monitor the gas phase, in our simulation chambers, provide specific tools for the in situ physico-chemical characterization of analogues of astrobiological interest. Simulation chamber facilities are a promising and potential tool for planetary exploration of habitable environments. A review of many wide-ranging applications in astrobiology are detailed herein to provide an understanding of the potential and flexibility of these unique experimental systems.

Desorption Kinetics of Carbon Dioxide from a Graphene-Covered Pt(111) Surface

The interaction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) with a graphene-covered Pt(111) surface was investigated using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). The TPD spectra show monolayer and multilayer desorption peaks; however, the multilayer peak is not well-separated from the monolayer peak. The TPD spectra for submonolayer and multilayer coverages align on separate common leading edges. This alignment is a signature of zero-order desorption kinetics. The RAIRS spectra for submonolayer coverages have a relatively sharp peak at ∼2350 cm^-1, which is assigned to the ν₃ asymmetric stretch. The peak is observed at the onset of CO₂ adsorption, and the area of the peak increases linearly with coverage. This suggests that CO₂ does not lie flat on the surface but instead has a component of its bond axis perpendicular to the graphene surface.

Prediction of the near-IR spectra of ices by ab initio molecular dynamics

Use of ab initio molecular dynamics to predict the near-IR spectra of ices and application to astronomical models.

Two-dimensional dry ices with rich polymorphic and polyamorphic phase behavior

Both carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) are triatomic molecules that are ubiquitous in nature, and both are among the five most abundant gases in the Earth's atmosphere. At low temperature and ambient pressure, both CO2 and H2O form molecular crystals--dry ice I and ice I h Because water possesses distinctive hydrogen bonds, it exhibits intricate and highly pressure-dependent phase behavior, including at least 17 crystalline ice phases and three amorphous ice phases. In contrast, due to its weak van der Waals intermolecular interactions, CO2 exhibits fewer crystalline phases except at extremely high pressures, where nonmolecular ordered structures arise. Herein, we show the molecular dynamics simulation results of numerous 2D polymorphs of CO2 molecules in slit nanopores. Unlike bulk polymorphs of CO2, 2D CO2 polymorphs exhibit myriad crystalline and amorphous structures, showing remarkable polymorphism and polyamorphism. We also show that depending on the thermodynamic path, 2D solid-to-solid phase transitions can give rise to previously unreported structures, e.g., wave-like amorphous CO2 structures. Our simulation also suggests intriguing structural connections between 2D and 3D dry ice phases (e.g., Cmca and PA-3) and offers insights into CO2 polyamorphic transitions through intermediate liquid or amorphous phases.

Simulations and spectra of water in CO matrices

Models for the inclusion of water molecules in carbon monoxide matrices are developed using density functional theory applied to amorphous solid systems. The models cover a large range of systems for smaller or larger CO matrices with different water content, consisting of either individual H₂O molecules or small clusters linked by H-bonds. The vibrational spectra of the samples are predicted at the minimum of their potential energy surface. The spectra allow instances where the water molecules remain isolated or form aggregates to be discerned, and they also provide an indication of the strength of the H-bonding, when present. The calculations support recent experimental observations that linked IR bands at 3707 cm^-1 and 3617 cm^-1 to the presence of unbound water molecules in water-poor CO/H₂O mixed ices. Assignment of some observed bands to water dimers or trimers is suggested as well. The residual static pressure in fixed-volume simulation cells is also calculated.

THz time-domain spectroscopy of mixed CO2-CH3OH interstellar ice analogs

The icy mantles of interstellar dust grains are the birthplaces of the primordial prebiotic molecular inventory that may eventually seed nascent solar systems and the planets and planetesimals that form therein. Here, we present a study of two of the most abundant species in these ices after water: carbon dioxide (CO2) and methanol (CH3OH), using TeraHertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy and mid-infrared spectroscopy. We study pure and mixed-ices of these species, and demonstrate the power of the THz region of the spectrum to elucidate the long-range structure (i.e. crystalline versus amorphous) of the ice, the degree of segregation of these species within the ice, and the thermal history of the species within the ice. Finally, we comment on the utility of the THz transitions arising from these ices for use in astronomical observations of interstellar ices.

Capture of Hyperthermal CO2 by Amorphous Water Ice via Molecular Embedding

We present the first study detailing the capture and aggregation of hyperthermal CO2 molecules by amorphous solid water (ASW) under ultra-high vacuum conditions at 125 K, near the amorphous/crystalline transition. Using time-resolved in situ reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), CO2 molecules with translational energies above 3.0 eV are observed to directly embed underneath the vacuum-solid interface to become absorbed within the ice films despite an inability to adsorb at 125 K; this behavior is not observed for crystalline films. Upon embedding, the mobility of CO2 within 125 K amorphous ice and the strength of its intermolecular interactions result in its segregation into clusters within the ice films. Tracing the kinetics of CO2 embedding events under different energetic conditions allows for elucidation of the underlying dynamics, and we draw comparison with other projectiles we have studied to promote generalized conclusions in regard to empirical prediction of a projectile's embedding probability. Through application of a classical model of the entrance barrier for projectiles colliding with amorphous ice, we provide direct evidence for a unified connection between embedding probability and projectile momentum; an account of all embedding data measured by our group traces a unified barrier model. This work highlights the interplay between translational energy and momentum accommodation during collisions with ice in high speed gas flows.

Microstructural response of variably hydrated Ca-rich montmorillonite to supercritical CO2

First-principles molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to explore the mechanistic and thermodynamic ramifications of the exposure of variably hydrated Ca-rich montmorillonites to supercritical CO2 and CO2-SO2 mixtures under geologic storage conditions. In sub- to single-hydrated systems (≤ 1W), CO2 intercalation causes interlamellar expansion of 8-12%, while systems transitioning to 2W may undergo contraction (∼ 7%) or remain almost unchanged. When compared to ∼2W hydration state, structural analysis of the ≤ 1W systems, reveals more Ca-CO2 contacts and partial transition to vertically confined CO2 molecules. Infrared spectra and projected vibrational frequency analysis imply that intercalated Ca-bound CO2 are vibrationally constrained and contribute to the higher frequencies of the asymmetric stretch band. Reduced diffusion coefficients of intercalated H2O and CO2 (10(-6)-10(-7) cm(2)/s) indicate that Ca-montmorillonites in ∼ 1W hydration states can be more efficient in capturing CO2. Simulations including SO2 imply that ∼ 0.66 mmol SO2/g clay can be intercalated without other significant structural changes. SO2 is likely to divert H2O away from the cations, promoting Ca-CO2 interactions and CO2 capture by further reducing CO2 diffusion (10(-8) cm(2)/s). Vibrational bands at ∼ 1267 or 1155 cm(-1) may be used to identify the chemical state (oxidation states +4 or +6, respectively) and the fate of sulfur contaminants.

O(-) from amorphous and crystalline CO2 ices

O(-) desorbed from amorphous and crystalline films of CO2 at 18 K under low energy electron impact is studied using time of flight mass spectrometry. The nature of the CO2 film is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry as a function of film thickness. It is found that the desorption rate from amorphous films is considerably larger than that from crystalline films. The desorption signal from the 4 eV resonance is found to be the dominant one as compared to that from the higher energy resonances, notably the one at 8 eV observed in the gas phase. This is explained in terms of the large enhancement in the dissociative electron attachment cross section for the 4 eV resonance in the condensed phase reported earlier using the charge trapping method.