Publications by authors named "Jessica L Wills"
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are found throughout the interstellar medium and are important markers for the evolution of galaxies and both star and planet formation. They are also widely regarded as a major source of carbon, which has implications in the search for extraterrestrial life. Herein we construct a melting point phase diagram for a series of phenanthrene/pyrene binary mixtures to identify the eutectic composition (75 mol % phenanthrene) and its melting point (83 °C).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Phenanthrene, a simple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is used to create microparticles through high-shear homogenization at 105 °C, producing polydisperse spherical particles with an average size of 25 ± 21 μm.
- - These phenanthrene microparticles are fired at high speeds into aluminum foil targets, allowing researchers to analyze the impact craters using the fluorescence of phenanthrene to study particle distribution.
- - By coating the particles with polypyrrole to reduce fluorescence, researchers are able to evaluate thermal ablation effects when the particles are later fired into aerogel, providing insights for future space missions that may capture PAH-based dust from comets or icy satellites