Abstract. The Curiosity rover discovered fine--grained sedimentary rocks, inferred to represent an ancient lake, preserve evidence of an environment that would have been suited to support a Martian biosphere founded on chemolithoautotrophy. This aqueous environment was characterized by neutral pH, low salinity, and variable redox states of both iron and sulfur species. C, H, O, S, N, and P were measured directly as key biogenic elements, and by inference N and P are assumed to have been available. The environment likely had a minimum duration of hundreds to tens of thousands of years. These results highlight the biological viability of fluvial--lacustrine environments in the post--Noachian history of Mars.

X-ray diffraction analysis of the Rocknest scoop sample is described in (23); similar analyses were performed for John Klein and Cumberland. John Klein and Cumberland were the first two drill samples collected by Curiosity. All scooped or drilled samples pass through the Collection and Handling for In situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) sample collection and processing system (10). All powders for X-ray diffraction are processed through a 150-m sieve before delivering a portion to the CheMin inlet funnel.The sieved drill powders were placed into sample cells with 6 μm thick Mylar® windows. Mylar® contributes a minor, broad scattering signature in diffraction patterns that is generally "swamped" by diffraction from the loaded sample. In addition, an aluminized light shield also contributes "peaks" to the observed diffraction patterns. Only ~10 mm 3 of material is required to fill the active volume of the sample cell, which is a disc-shaped volume 8 mm in diameter and 175 m thick. A collimated ∼70 μm diameter X-ray beam illuminates the center of the sample cell. A piezoelectric vibration system on each cell pair shakes the material during analysis, causing grains in the cell to pass through the X-ray beam in random orientations.CheMin measures XRD and XRF data simultaneously using Co radiation in transmission geometry (11). The instrument operates in single-photon counting mode so that between each readout the majority of CCD pixels are struck by either a single X-ray photon or by no photons. In this way, the system can determine both the energy of the photons striking the CCD (XRF) and the two-dimensional (2-D) position of each photon (XRD). The energy and positional information of detected photons in each frame are summed over repeated 10-sec measurements into a "minor frame" of 30 min of data (180 frames). The 2-D distribution of Co K X-ray intensity represents the XRD pattern of the sample. Circumferential integration of these rings, corrected for arc length, produces a conventional 1-D XRD pattern. For conversion of the 2-D CCD pattern to a 1-D pattern we have used FilmScan © software from Materials Data, Inc.CheMin generally operates for only a few hours each night, when the CCD can be cooled to its lowest temperature, collecting as many minor frames as possible for the available analysis time, usually five to seven per night. XRD data were acquired over multiple nights for the John Klein and Cumberland drill samples to provide acceptable counting statistics. Total data collection times were 33.9 hr for John Klein and 20.2 hr for Cumberland. The data for individual minor frames and for each night's analysis were examined separately, and there was no evidence of any changes in instrumental parameters as a function of time over the duration of these analyses. Before sample delivery and analysis, the empty cell was analyzed to confirm that it was indeed empty before receiving the sample. The flight instrument was calibrated on the ground before flight using a quartz-beryl standard, and measurement of this st...

Quantitative phase analysis of multicomponent mixtures using X-ray powder diffraction data has been approached with a modified version of the Rietveld computer program of Wiles & Young [ J. Appl. Cryst. (1981), 14, 149-151]. This new method does not require measurement of calibration data nor the use of an internal standard; however, the approximate crystal structure of each phase of interest in a mixture is necessary. The use of an internal standard will allow the determination of total amorphous phase content in a mixture. Analysis of synthetic mixtures yielded high-precision results, with errors generally less than 1.0% absolute. Since this technique fits the complete diffraction pattern, it is less susceptible to primary extinction effects and minor amounts of preferred orientation. Additional benefits of this technique over traditional quantitative analysis methods include the determination of precise cell parameters and approximate chemical compositions, and the potential for the correction of preferred orientation and microabsorption effects.

Ti3C2 and other two-dimensional transition metal carbides known as MXenes are currently being explored for many applications involving intercalated ions, from electrochemical energy storage, to contaminant sorption from water, to selected ion sieving. We report here a systematic investigation of ion exchange in Ti3C2 MXene and its hydration/dehydration behavior. We have investigated the effects of the presence of LiCl during the chemical etching of the MAX phase Ti3AlC2 into MXene Ti3C2Tx (T stands for surface termination) and found that the resulting MXene has Li + cations in the interlayer space. We successfully exchanged the Li + cations with K + , Na, and Ca 2+ (supported by X-ray photoelectron and energy-dispersive spectroscopy) and found that the exchanged material expands on the unit-cell level in response to changes in humidity, with the nature of expansion dependent on the intercalated cation, similar to behavior of clay minerals; stepwise expansions of the basal spacing were observed, with changes consistent with the size of the H2O molecule. Thermogravimetric analysis of the dehydration behavior of these materials shows that the amounts of H2O contained at ambient humidity correlates simply with the hydration enthalpy of the intercalated cation, and that the diffusion of the exiting H2O proceeds with kinetics similar to clays. These results have implications for understanding, controlling, and exploiting structural changes and H2O sorption in MXene films and powders utilized in applications involving ions, such as electrochemical capacitors, sensors, reverse osmosis membranes, or contaminant sorbents.

International audienceSamples from the Rocknest aeolian deposit were heated to ~835°C under helium flow and evolved gases analyzed by Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite. H2O, SO2, CO2, and O2 were the major gases released. Water abundance (1.5 to 3 weight percent) and release temperature suggest that H2O is bound within an amorphous component of the sample. Decomposition of fine-grained Fe or Mg carbonate is the likely source of much of the evolved CO2. Evolved O2 is coincident with the release of Cl, suggesting that oxygen is produced from thermal decomposition of an oxychloride compound. Elevated δD values are consistent with recent atmospheric exchange. Carbon isotopes indicate multiple carbon sources in the fines. Several simple organic compounds were detected, but they are not definitively martian in origin