The University of Delaware said geopolymer cement from the moon or Mars might be used to construct homes, buildings, or rocket landing pads in space.
The scientists were able to create topsoil materials that resemble clay from simulated lunar and martian soil, which is thought to be a good substitute for conventional cement. The research was published in the magazine Advances in Space Research.
Inorganic polymers called geopolymers are created from aluminosilicate rocks. Everywhere in the world, ordinary clays contain them.
The clay can dissolve when combined with a solvent with a high pH, releasing the aluminum and silicon within to interact with other substances. This then makes it possible to make cement.
Building on Mars and Moon Through Geopolymer Clay
The University of Delaware created geopolymer cement to create a quality alternative to traditional cement, Mining.com reported.
In a press release, study co-author Norman Wagner said: "If we're going to live and work on another planet like Mars or the Moon, we need to make concrete. But we can't take bags of concrete with us - we need to use local resources."
Wagner claims that to successfully produce space cement, a binder will be needed to chemically link the raw components together.
This building material must, among other things, be strong enough to withstand the vertical launch pads required to shield artificial rockets from flying rocks, dust, and other debris during takeoff or landing.
Most traditional building materials, such as regular cement, are unsuitable for use in space.
A comparison image of the planet Mars reveals October 11, 2001, a global dust storm has engulfed the planet. The storm is comprised of fine dust and obscures all surface features. This image was captured by the Hubble Telescope.
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Geopolymer Withstanding Rocket Blasts
The goal of the study was to see whether geopolymer chemistry might be used to similarly activate simulated Martian and lunar soils.
According to Interesting Engineering, researchers combined several simulated soils with sodium silicate. They then used the resultant geopolymer mixture to cast it into molds to watch the response.
Researchers were specifically interested in determining if minute chemical variations would significantly affect the final material's overall strength.
In their study, scientists detail how they created materials that can be compressed into tiny cubes with the compressive strength needed to resist a rocket blast.
Of course, further research is required to determine how the material will perform in space. However, the researchers provided a few recommendations based on their findings that may benefit the development of spacecraft materials.
For instance, particle size and chemical composition can be very important factors in determining a material's strength.
All of this contributes to the expanding body of scholarly literature on building spacecraft.
Due to the need for unconventional techniques since space is a hostile environment, numerous conventional techniques have been proposed that are rather far-fetched.
For instance, a researcher from the University of Manchester proposed last year that lunar and Martian regolith may be blended with human blood and excrement as a binding agent for space cement.
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