Diamond-like cosmic ingredient could soon strengthen materials on Earth
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Diamond-like cosmic ingredient could soon strengthen materials on Earth

A group of physicists and engineers have discovered a recipe for pre-solar stardust.

Presolar stardust is a type of stardust that originated long before any stars formed in the universe. It is the ingredient from which countless suns, and therefore lifeforms, were eventually formed.

According to a PopSci report, an international team believes they know the key ingredients for titanium-based pre-solar stardust. The newly discovered recipe can be used to create stronger materials here on Earth.

Analysis of presolar stellar dust in microgravity

Billions of years ago, pre-solar dust circulated through space in vast quantities until it formed into stars, planets, and moons. However, some of this dust still exists in its original pre-solar form in ancient meteorites.

In the new study, the researchers analyze in detail a type of pre-solar stardust with a titanium carbide core and a graphite shell. Titanium carbide, a combination of titanium and carbon, is an incredibly strong ceramic material, nearly as hard as diamond.

The scientists set out to find out how these carbon-coated nuclei sometimes stick together into larger grains made up of hundreds of individual nuclei.

Testing the material on Earth is challenging because the grains didn't have to deal with gravity during their formation. In June 2019, to overcome this obstacle, scientists launched a sounding rocket from the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, a Swedish city north of the Arctic Circle.

Sounding rockets do not fly into orbit. Instead, they are sent to high altitudes to analyze the atmosphere and test instruments and scientific payloads.

At the same time, the rocket flew to an altitude of 240 km (150 miles), which allowed it to experience microgravity. He took with him a payload of dust particles and instruments that could record their composition during the flight. Using this method, the scientists were able to record the effects of microgravity on dust particles for six and a half minutes. The grains were found about 46 miles from the rocket launch site and sent to Japan, where they were analyzed by scientists from Hokkaido University.

Stardust recipe could lead to stronger materials on Earth

Using microgravity analysis, as well as subsequent experiments on Earth, scientists were able to formulate a recipe for a grain of titanium carbide. In their article, they detail how the recipe consists of a graphite-shaped core of carbon atoms dusted with titanium. These cores are then fused together in large quantities and coated with graphite.

The new discovery not only sheds new light on the early universe, but could also have very practical applications here on Earth. Scientists believe the recipe could help engineers and manufacturers develop stronger materials on Earth. In fact, the development of nanoparticles is very similar to the process of creating stardust from titanium carbide.

Nanoparticles have been used for many years to strengthen plastics and asphalt, and even to deliver drugs to the human body. However, they are usually developed using a liquid solution, which creates a lot of waste. The scientists believe their stardust-inspired method can create similar materials without this waste. As the researchers note, building tools reinforced with stardust could one day even help produce spacecraft that will send people to explore deep space.

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