Matter
- Name
- Water ice and Smectite intra-mixture spherical particles 67±31 μm
- Family
- solid
- Comments
- Inside the particles, the minerals are probably concentrated between the water crystals (Poch et al., 2016b).
- Database
- Experimentalists
- Origins
- laboratory
- Provider
- Space Research and Planetary Sciences Division, University of Bern
- Provider reference code
- SPIPA-B Smectite Intra 1%
- Preparation
- raw
- Method
- Nebulization of a 1 wt.% suspension of Swy-2 smectite in liquid water and freezing by deposition in liquid nitrogen
- Phase type
- solid
- Shape
- granular powder
- Texture
- loose granular
- Type of porosity
- particulate
- Title
- Preparation of the intra-mixture particles of Smectite and Water ice
- Matters
- Matter
- Water ice and Smectite intra-mixture spherical particles 67±31 μm (this matter)
- Processing steps
-
Step Date Type Process Changes #1 2014-07-30 mixing Mixing of 1 wt.% Swy-2 smectite powder in liquid deionized water. By magnetic stirring for more than 2 hours. When dispersed in liquid water, the smectite grains are exfoliated into individual mineral layers, called platelets, which are about 1 nm thick and 72 nm diameter (Weber et al., 2014). #2 2014-07-30 mechanical The liquid suspension is injected into a sonotrode and spread out as a thin film on the conical shaped nozzle surface at the output of the sonotrode. Ultrasonic vibrations delivered to the sonotrode nozzle disintegrate the liquid into micro-droplets. Spherical droplets are formed. #3 2014-07-30 thermal The droplets of Swy-2 smectite and water, initially liquid, undergo solidification as they contact the liquid nitrogen Spherical icy particles of Swy-2 smectite and water are formed.