In December 2020, the Chang'e 5 mission landed on the Moon, collected a sample of the lunar regolith, and brought it back to Earth a few weeks later. This marked the first successful lunar sample retrieval since 1976. The analysis of these samples revealed traces of water and the youngest known Moon rocks discovered to date.

Figure 1. Scientists have found graphene in a lunar sample that was brought back to Earth

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Metal Research have made a new discovery in the lunar sample: graphene. [1] This material, consisting of two-dimensional, one-atom-thick sheets of carbon, has garnered significant attention for its remarkable electronic and mechanical properties. While graphene is typically produced in laboratories by depositing thin sheets of carbon onto substrates or by peeling it off graphite with tape, natural graphene has also been found in interstellar space, meteorites, mines, and now, on the Moon. Figure 1 shows Scientists have found graphene in a lunar sample that was brought back to Earth.

The researchers used Raman spectrometry to analyze a small lunar sample, about 2.9 x 1.6 mm, returned by Chang’e 5. They identified several areas with high carbon content, initially appearing as graphite. Since graphene consists of very thin sheets of graphite, the team employed higher magnification to examine the sample further.

Their analysis confirmed that some of the carbon was indeed graphene. The graphene was found in flakes ranging from two to seven layers thick and also within carbon shells surrounding other minerals. The presence of graphene in these shells indicates that it likely formed through a high-temperature process, rather than being simply peeled from graphite.

Closer inspection revealed that iron compounds were present exclusively in the areas with high carbon content, suggesting that these compounds may have facilitated the formation of graphite and graphene. The team hypothesizes that volcanic heat from the Moon's early years could have contributed to this process. Alternatively, iron-bearing minerals in the lunar soil might have captured carbon from solar wind gases and catalyzed its conversion into graphene th rough hot plasma discharges on the Moon's surface.

“The mineral-catalyzed formation of natural graphene provides insights into developing low-cost, scalable synthesis techniques for high-quality graphene,” the paper concluded.[2] “This discovery could encourage new lunar exploration programs and lead to upcoming breakthroughs.”

References:

1. https://newatlas.com/materials/natural-graphene-moon-discovered/
2. https://www.sci.news/space/moon-graphene-13145.html

Cite this article:

Janani R (2024), Natural Graphene Has Been Discovered on The Moon, AnaTechMaz, pp.36