Speaker
Description
Liquids and vacuum are opposite concepts. We have developed a new technique for making possible the coexistence and the emergence of liquid solutions inside a vacuum chamber. We call this technique «Atomic Layer Injection», ALI [1] and it allows to deposit sub monolayers of biomolecules, as Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), or gold nanoparticles from a liquid solution at room temperature. With this technique the molecule to be deposited or nanostructure stays in its original solution (outside of vacuum), and it is introduced inside the vacuum vessel as micro droplets.
The second application of the technique is related to space simulation [2,3]. In the Mars polar regions, cyanobacteria could survive in specific areas where ice coexists with water, or alternatively form in cycles. This process occurs at low temperature, few minibars of pressure in an environment mainly form of carbon dioxide. In a vacuum chamber it is very difficult to maintain a constant water pressure in the mbar range where the pumps are constantly working. The combination of low temperature, relatively high pressure and the correct design of pumping of the chamber with the control of water injection over a cyanobacteria registry, allow the study of the emergence of the microorganism in this extreme environments and learning about the possibility of habitability in Polar Regions of Mars.
REFERENCES:
[1] J.M. Sobrado, J.A. Martín-Gago. Controlled injection of a liquid into ultra-high vacuum: Submonolayers of adenosine triphosphate deposited on Cu(110). Journal of Applied Physics. 120, 145307 (2016).
[2] www.astrobiologia.es
[3] J. M. Sobrado, J. Martín-Soler, J.A. Martín-Gago. Mimicking Mars: A vacuum simulation chamber for testing environmental instrumentation for Mars exploration. Review of Scientific Instruments. 85, 03511 (2014).
