R5: Extraterrestrial materials

[R5-11] Hydration process of amorphous silicate nanoparticles analyzed by quasielastic neutron scattering at high temperature

*Takuo Okuchi¹, Naotaka Tomioka², Yusuke Seto³, Yuhei Umeda¹, Takeshi Yamada⁴, Hiromu Tamatsukuri⁵, Kaoru Shibata⁵ (1. Kyoto Univ., 2. JAMSTEC, 3. Kobe Univ., 4. CROSS, 5. JAEA)

Keywords:amorphous silicate, aqueous alteration, hydrogen dynamics, quasielastic neutron scattering

In the current study, quasielastic neutron scattering scheme has been applied for analyzing atomic-scale reaction and transport processes of water within amorphous silicate nanoparticle medium. We obtained the results at temperatures to ~500 K where hydrated amorphous medium starts to crystallize into layered hydrous mineral structure. Microscopic mechanisms of water storage and transport in such hydrous media were revealed, which have implication for understanding of aqueous alteration and water transport processes in asteroids occurring in the early solar system.