Scientists discover 'wonder material' in lunar samples that hint at Moon's true origins

The origins of the Moon are still being explored by scientists, and a new discovery of ‘wonder material’ in lunar samples could help experts paint a clearer picture than ever before.

The material which has shown up in soil samples taken by Chinese lunar mission Chang'e-5 (CE-5) in 2020 is graphene flakes.

Graphene is made up of a single layer of carbon atoms, and it could help to explain conditions in the early stages of the Moon’s formation.

The team behind the new research, published in the journal National Science Review, was led by professors Meng Zou, Wei Zhang, and senior engineer Xiujuan Li from Jilin University and Wencai Ren from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Metal Research.

They claimed that the graphene discovered in the samples could have initially been formed as a result of volcanic activity and progressed by solar winds.

It could also point to the impact of meteorites impacting on the Moon, creating extremely high temperatures and forming graphene.

"Graphene has revolutionized the research of condensed matter physics and materials science with its novel physical phenomena and extraordinary properties," the lunar sample team wrote in a recent paper published in the journal National Science Review.

The origins of the Moon itself have been discussed in the scientific community for decades. One theory, known as the giant impact hypothesis, suggests that Earth collided with a planet around the size of Mars around 4.5 billion years ago, eventually resulting in debris breaking off and forming the Moon.

A definitive explanation has yet to be established, but given how much of a hot topic the subject has been, this study represents a fascinating development.

"It is highly desirable to unravel the crystalline structure of the [moon's] indigenous carbon," the team wrote.

"Since graphene has been routinely prepared by using artificial techniques with distinct morphologies and properties as determined by the specific formation process, the composition and structure characterization of natural graphene would provide rich information on the geologic evolution of parent bodies," they added.

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