【Frontiers of HaiChuan Technology】Chinese researchers have discovered natural graphene in lunar soil samples for the first time
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The Star Soil Testing and Simulation Team at Jilin University, together with the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have recently, through the observation and analysis of the lunar soil samples obtained from the drilling operations of Chang’e-5 (No.CE5Z0806YJYX004), discovered naturally formed few-layer graphene for the first time. Zou Meng, head of the Star Soil Testing and Simulation team at Jilin University, explained that graphene plays an important role in a wide range of fields, including planetary and space science, thanks to its novel physical phenomena and extraordinary properties. It is estimated that about 1.9% of the total interstellar carbon exists in the form of graphene, and the structure and properties of graphene are determined by specific formation processes. Therefore, the compositional and structural characteristics of natural graphene can provide important references and information for the geological evolution of celestial bodies and the in-situ utilization of resources on the Moon. Jilin University obtained the first Chang’e-5 lunar samples from the Northeast region in 2023. Subsequently, using an electron microscope-Raman spectroscopy combined technique, researchers obtained Raman spectra from areas of the lunar soil samples with relatively high carbon content, confirming that the crystalline quality of graphite carbon in these samples was relatively high. The regions containing carbon in the lunar soil samples have iron compounds, which is closely related to the formation of graphene. Researchers employed various characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy imaging, transmission electron microscopy imaging, and flight secondary mass spectrometry to conduct their studies, and carried out thorough comparative analysis of the test results. Through analysis, researchers explored and confirmed that the graphite carbon detected in lunar soil samples is few-layer graphene (2–7 layers). The formation of this few-layer graphene and graphite carbon may stem from a mineral catalytic process induced jointly by the solar wind and early volcanic eruptions on the Moon. This discovery provides new insights into the lunar geological activity and evolutionary history, as well as the environmental characteristics of the Moon. It expands our understanding of the complex mineral composition of lunar soil, and offers important information and clues for the in-situ utilization of resources on the Moon.
In 1982, when Chen Qingyun entered the Shanghai Plating Factory again, the workshops were brighter and the pungent smell had disappeared. When added to the F-53 plating tank, it forms a thin layer of foam that acts like a delicate blanket, covering the yellow chromium mist particles. It is worth noting that the F-53 chromium mist inhibitor is the first fluorine-based chemical product developed through independent innovation in China.
After the development of the chromium mist inhibitor F-53, Chen Qingyun and his team did not set it aside; instead, from the perspective of fundamental research, they delved deeper into its structure and reaction mechanism in order to understand the underlying principles. After conducting in-depth research on tetrafluoroethane-β-sulfolactone, a key intermediate material, the team discovered that reactions of the sulfolactone with other compounds could yield various oxo-polyfluorosulfonic acid compounds, laying the foundation for research on difluorocarbene (as a reagent) and trifluoromethylation (as a reaction). At the same time, various fluorine chemistry research groups at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry conducted a series of fundamental studies on the raw materials, intermediates, products, and by-products in the F-53 production process, resulting in three distinct research frameworks: Huang Weiyuan’s \"sulfenation dehalogenation reaction\", Chen Qingyun’s \"organic fluorine chemical reactions mediated by metals and transition metals\", and Hu Changming’s \"chemical studies of halofluorocarbons driven by redox systems\". In the 1980s, the basic research in fluorine chemistry at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry yielded continuous results as a result of accumulated efforts, achieving the development of disciplines driven by specific tasks. Liu Jintao, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, wrote in an article tracing the history of fluorine chemistry research in China that, according to statistics from the international journal Fluorine Chemistry in 1997, papers on fluorine chemistry accounted for 1.86% of the papers published by China in international journals, the highest proportion among all countries in the world. Hu Jinbo, director of the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, mentioned another figure. After returning to China upon completing his studies in 2005, he conducted an approximate count of the fluorine chemistry research papers published in the country; at its peak, around 75% of these papers came from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry.
In 1977, Huang Weiyuan, as part of a delegation from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, attended the American Chemical Society Meeting for the first time. It was also his first time standing at a podium to introduce China’s independently developed F-53 chromium mist inhibitor to foreign colleagues. After that, there were many more such \"firsts\"; he also gradually introduced international exchange platforms – in 2005, the International Fluorine Chemistry Conference was held in Shanghai for the first time. For his outstanding contributions to the field of fluorine chemistry, Huang Weiyuan was awarded the MOISSAN medal, the highest honor in the international fluorine chemistry community, at the 100th anniversary celebration of the discovery of fluorine held in Paris, France, in 1986. As more and more articles on fluorine chemistry research from Shanghai are published, and an increasing number of Chinese scholars appear in the lists of international conferences in organic chemistry, a reputation for Shanghai’s work in fluorine chemistry is gradually emerging. Xiao Jichang, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, remembers that Chen Qingyun once recounted an interesting story about going to the United States for a meeting with Huang Weiyuan. As soon as the two of them stepped out of the airport terminal, they heard someone who came to greet them call out, “Shanghai Fluorine!” ”The two elderly men were a bit surprised, then burst into laughter.
“Behind the reputation of “Shanghai Fluorine” is a group of people who have persisted in doing things that many others dare not do. Due to the properties of fluorine, few are willing to take the risk of researching it. Hu Jinbo has a scar on his left hand: an explosion occurred during early experiments, and broken glass hit his left hand, severing the ligaments in his middle finger. “This research has certain requirements; it demands professional skills and a high level of safety awareness from those involved. ” In an era with limited conditions and facilities, fluorine chemistry research faced even greater risks. In the 1960s, Chen Qingyun and his assistant Chen Bingqi used perfluoroisobutylene to synthesize perfluorotert-butyl iodide for the first time. Perfluorotert-butyl iodide is highly irritating and can easily turn into a gas that is absorbed by the human body; its precursor, perfluoroisobutylene, is one of the small molecules with high toxicity in fluorine chemistry. During one of the preparation processes, Chen Bingqi was poisoned and fell to the ground, unable to move for a while. He silently encouraged himself, and in the end, he managed to stand up by sheer willpower. “In his memoirs, the man wrote that he felt honored to be involved in such an important task, and that being poisoned was no big deal. ”Hu Jinbo was deeply moved by the tenacious spirit shown by his senior. Due to its high toxicity, related research has been put on hold. But more than 50 years later, Hu Jinbo led a team to develop an efficient and rapid method for synthesizing perfluorotertbutyl compounds, eliminating the need to use toxic gases. When Chen Qingyun, who was already 90 years old, came across relevant literature online, she couldn’t help but ask her younger generations in curiosity, \"Isn’t this toxic? How did you manage to do it?\" ” “It is a form of inheritance. ”Zhu Kaidi, who was involved in this work, voiced the thoughts of the new generation of researchers: The institute in Shanghai has a rich history of research in fluorine chemistry; as the older generation passed on knowledge and methods, they also left behind lessons and problems for future generations to explore further. And isn’t that also a kind of wealth and advantage? Since the 1950s, the research team has maintained an examination system brought back by Huang Weiyuan from Harvard University: regular cumulative tests for graduate students to encourage them to maintain the habit of consulting literature and keeping track of the latest research developments. “This is engraved in the ‘genes’ of our development; it is where the ‘roots’ lie. ”Zhu Kaidi said. Through years of development, the Key Laboratory of Organofluorine Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in Shanghai in 2002. The laboratory brings together researchers of three generations – senior, middle-aged, and young – to focus wholeheartedly on research related to fluorine. Xiao Jichang said that this is the only laboratory in the world currently named after the element fluorine. “Among the 118 chemical elements, we have chosen this one to conduct long-term and systematic research on. ”