Two raw rocks used by the researchers (top). Vials show the nanobelts in water, with a close up of the actual nanobelts (bottom). Credit: University of Sussex
Key points:
- Researchers used NASA’s method for extracting water from Martian gypsum to produce a transformative nanomaterial byproduct called anhydrite.
- Processing anhydrite into nanobelts—tagliatelle-shaped nanomaterials—has the potential to create clean energy and sustainable electronics.
- In addition to their implications for clean energy production on Earth, these findings could play a role in shaping sustainable habitation on Mars.
A research group has investigated the potential of nanomaterials—incredibly tiny components thousands of times smaller than a human hair—for clean energy production and building materials on Mars. Their findings, published in Advanced Functional Materials, open the door to potential clean energy and sustainable technology production on Mars.
Researchers used NASA’s innovative method for extracting water from Martian gypsum. The dehydration process that extracts water produces a byproduct called anhydrite. Initially, anhydrite was considered waste material, but the team has highlighted its value.
Next, they processed the anhydrite into nanobelts—tagliatelle-shaped materials—and demonstrated the potential to create clean energy and sustainable electronics.
The team used only sustainable production methods such as water-based chemistry and low-energy processes to identify electrical properties within the gypsum nanomaterials. At every step of their process, water could be continuously collected and recycled.
“This study shows that the potential is quite literally out of this world for nanomaterials,” said study author Connor Boland of the University of Sussex. “Our study takes what was considered waste, essentially lumps of rock, and turns it into transformative nanomaterials for a range of applications from creating clean hydrogen fuel to developing an electronic device similar to a transistor, to creating an additive to textiles to increase their robustness.”
The anhydrite nanobelts have promise for clean energy production on Earth. While full-scale electronic production is not yet practical on Mars, anhydrite technology may impact sustainable energy production on Mars in the future.