06/08/2024 14:13
Updated on 06/08/2024 14:13
The search for efficient and long-lasting energy storage systems has turned the batteries essential for portable devices and electric vehicles. However, their limitations in terms of energy density and lifetime have driven research into innovative solutions. Among these, the graphene stands out as a crucial material for the battery industry.
Discovered in 2004, graphene is an allotropic form of carbon, similar to diamond or graphite, but with unique and extraordinary properties due to its extremely fine structure and thickness. It is composed of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a two-dimensional hexagonal structure.
The production of graphene is complicated and economically unviable.
China also sees a market in graphene
It is considered the thinnest and lightest material known, and at the same time, one of the strongest and most resistant. It is impermeable to gases and has a high electrical conduction capacity. These characteristics make it a promising material for a wide range of applicationsIn electronics, it could replace silicon in the manufacture of faster and more efficient chips. In the energy industry, it could improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. It is also being investigated for use in medicine, flexible electronics, water desalination and pollutant filtration, among other fields.
However, graphene is not found naturally in nature. It is a laboratory material obtained by processing graphite or by chemical vapor deposition methodologies. These are complex processes that allow obtaining high-quality graphene, although the production volume is very low. When trying to increase production yield, the quality of the graphene may be compromised.
It is not surprising that China is following its trail and that is why He has gone far away to look for itThe research, conducted by Jilin University and the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with support from the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center of the China National Space Administration, has recently been published in National Science Review.
He natural graphene It can offer significant information and references to understand the geological evolution of celestial bodies and take advantage of the resources available in MoonAccording to researchers at Jilin University, it is estimated that about 1.9% of the total interstellar carbon is in the form of graphene. Its characteristics and properties depend on a particular formation process.
The research team collected Raman spectra, used to study lunar soils, from areas with a high carbon content. They confirmed that the graphite carbon in these samples possesses a high quality of crystallizationThey found that regions of the lunar soil samples with carbon content also contain iron compounds that are closely linked to the formation of graphene.
In 2020, the Chang’e-5 probe collected samples from an unexplored part of the Moon. Photo by the China Space Agency.
Observation and subsequent analysis confirmed that the graphite form of carbon in the lunar soil samples It is a type of few-layer grapheneA total of 1,731 grams of lunar samples were brought back by the Chang’e-5 mission in December 2020. These samples are the first obtained from a younger region of the lunar surface containing volcanic rocks, and are also the first extraterrestrial samples brought back to Earth by Chinese scientists.
According to reports The Global Times, The formation of few-layer graphene and graphitic carbon may have been caused by mineral catalytic processes jointly induced by the solar wind and early volcanic eruptions on the Moon.
