Moon News
MOON DAILY
Graphene Discovered in Lunar Soil Sample from Chang'e 5 Mission
illustration only
Graphene Discovered in Lunar Soil Sample from Chang'e 5 Mission
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Aug 02, 2024

A recent study published in National Science Review has identified the presence of naturally formed few-layer graphene in a lunar soil sample. This remarkable finding comes from a team of researchers led by Professors Meng Zou, Wei Zhang, and Senior Engineer Xiujuan Li from Jilin University, along with Wencai Ren from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Metal Research. The sample, an olive-shaped piece of lunar soil measuring approximately 2.9 by 1.6 millimeters, was collected during China's Chang'e 5 mission in 2020.

The research team explained that roughly 1.9 percent of interstellar carbon is believed to be in the form of graphene, with its distinctive structure shaped by its formation process. Utilizing a specialized spectrometer, the scientists detected an iron compound integral to graphene formation within a carbon-rich section of the lunar sample. Further analysis with advanced microscopy and mapping techniques confirmed the presence of carbon "flakes" consisting of two to seven graphene layers.

The team hypothesizes that the few-layer graphene could have originated from volcanic activity in the moon's early history, with solar winds acting as a catalyst by agitating lunar soil and iron-rich minerals to transform carbon atoms into graphene. Additionally, the high-temperature and high-pressure conditions generated by meteorite impacts may have contributed to graphene formation.

On Earth, graphene is highly valued in materials science for its unique optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. The researchers believe that their findings could pave the way for cost-effective production methods and broader applications of graphene.

"The mineral-catalyzed formation of natural graphene sheds light on the development of low-cost scalable synthesis techniques of high-quality graphene," the paper said. "Therefore, a new lunar exploration program may be promoted, and some forthcoming breakthroughs can be expected."

Research Report:Discovery of natural few-layer graphene on the Moon

Related Links
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MOON DAILY
Creating a Lunar Biorepository to protect Earth's biodiversity
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 01, 2024
An international team of scientists has proposed a novel solution to safeguard the planet's biodiversity amid the growing extinction crisis: a biorepository on the Moon. Detailed in the journal BioScience, this plan aims to establish a passive, long-term storage facility for cryopreserved samples of the world's most endangered animal species. Dr. Mary Hagedorn from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute leads the team. They suggest utilizing the Moon's consistently cold ... read more

MOON DAILY
NASA Trains Machine Learning Algorithm for Mars Sample Analysis

A Yellow Jacket on Mars

One year on 'Mars': Inside NASA's ultra-realistic isolation study

Has NASA found evidence of ancient life on Mars

MOON DAILY
New analysis of Cassini data yields insights into Titan's seas

Titan's lakes may be shaped by waves

UH scientists discover massive energy imbalance on Saturn

Discovery of organic molecules on Saturn's moon

MOON DAILY
Ariel's Carbon Dioxide Indicates Potential Subsurface Ocean on Uranus' Moon

Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter

A new insight into Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot

Queen's University Belfast Researchers Investigate Mysterious Brightening of Chiron

MOON DAILY
ISS Crew Conducts Historic Archaeological Survey in Space

Cygnus resupply spacecraft reaches ISS with four tons of supplies, experiments

Ascending Node Technologies Releases Innovative Spaceline Visualization Software

Russian space agency says break with West cost $2.1 bn

MOON DAILY
MOON DAILY
One SpaceX launch scrubbed, another still a go

Rocket Lab Plans Next Electron Launch Eight Days After Recent Mission

SpaceX launches 21 satellites from Florida; another one set Sunday

NASA assigns crew for SpaceX Crew-10 mission to ISS

MOON DAILY
Shenzhou XVIII Crew Conducts Emergency Drill on Tiangong Space Station

Beijing Unveils 'Rocket Street' to Boost Commercial Space Sector

Shenzhou XVII Crew Shares Post-Mission Insights with Media

Shenzhou XVIII Crew Successfully Completes Second Spacewalk

MOON DAILY
Chile's largest steelmaker suspends production, blames China

UCLA Engineers Develop Shape-Shifting Metamaterial Inspired by Classic Toys

NASA Project Pioneers Future of Rocket Manufacturing

Waste into gold: Oyster shells repurposed as magic 'Seawool'

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.