http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/0904/c90000-20214392.html

https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)01633-X

Researchers from the CAS Xinjiang Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology and theCAS  Institute of Geochemistry, in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) have explored the feasibility of using Martian soil to prepare continuous fibers and use them in the construction of a Martian base.

The study found that Martian soil has similar chemical composition, mineral phase composition and similar melting behavior to Earth basalt. The experiment showed that the simulated Martian soil was completely melted at 1360 ° C, no obvious crystal precipitation occurred during the melting-cooling process, and the melt was converted into an amorphous glass after quenching. Guided by this experimental result, researchers used the melt-traction method to obtain continuous Martian soil fibers at different fiber-forming speeds. The study showed that the average diameter of the obtained fiber was 9.7-13.9 μm, the maximum tensile strength of the single fiber was 1320 MPa, and the maximum tensile modulus was 99 GPa. At the same time, the study found that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the fiber decreased with the increase of the fiber-forming speed. This may be because the fiber-forming speed affects the aggregated structure of atoms in the fiber.

Further studies under conditions of Mars’ low gravity and a Mars low pressure and inert atmosphere showed that continuous fiber materials with controllable diameter can be obtained using Martian soil as raw material to prepare fiber-reinforced composite materials through composite technology, which has application value for in-situ use of Martian soil to build a Martian base.