New Growth Setup of Planetary Clathrate Hydrate Analogs for Physical Properties Measurements

Introduction: Clathrate hydrates are inclusion compounds, with an ice-like structure that consists in an arrangement of ice cages in which guest gas molecules are trapped individually. These structures are stabilized by van der Waals interactions between the gas and the cages [e.g. 1]. Their potential ubiquitous occurence in the Solar System [e.g. 2] has strong implications in various domains: quest for future energy resources [3], climatology of the Earth [4] and Mars [5], astrophysics [6] and outer planets and icy satellite compositions [7]. Clathrate hydrates could especially play a significant role on the evolution and in the dynamic processes occurring on icy satellites, such as methane outgassing from the interior on Titan [e.g. 8,9]. Addressing the physical properties of these compounds is essential to improve our current understanding of geophysical properties of icy satellites. We present a new high-pressure apparatus for the generation of clathrate hydrates with relevant compositions to icy satellites, currently under development at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Expected results on clathrate hydrates thermo-physical properties from measurements conducted on these samples are also presented.