Photo: Screenshot from CCTV News
Chinese space scientists and taikonauts have achieved breakthrough in China’s space station Tiangong by successfully heating tungsten alloy to over 3100 C in the container-free material science laboratory cabinet, setting a world record, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.
The container-free material science laboratory cabinet allows scientists to study heat-resistant materials under extreme temperatures, capture “hardcore data” that ground-based experiments could never obtain, thereby paving the way for the design of new heat-resistant materials.
For the past four years, the container-free material science laboratory cabinet aboard the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station, has conducted experiments on tungsten alloy, niobium alloy, and other heat-resistant materials capable of withstanding the searing flames of rocket engines, as well as some new materials.
Now, this laboratory has heated tungsten alloy to over 3,000 C – nearly half the temperature of the sun’s surface. This extraordinary achievement reflects breakthroughs in two key technologies.
On Earth, molten metal under gravity either sticks to containers like syrup or separates into layers of different densities separating into layers like oil and water – making it impossible to form a uniform alloy.
But in the microgravity environment of space, surface tension shapes molten metal into a sphere. The experiment cabinet then uses electrostatic forces to hold the metal steadily, suspending it in midair. It is completely free from container contact – neither contaminated nor disturbed – achieving true “container-free.”
Secondly, the experiment cabinet’s dual-wavelength laser system combining semiconductor laser and a carbon dioxide laser, combined with a high-power 300-watt output, melts tungsten alloy, a metal with an extremely high melting point, into a liquid sphere.
The coordination of these two key technologies allows scientists to observe the behavior of heat-resistant materials at extreme temperatures, for example, how tungsten alloy flows when melted and how it crystallizes when cooled. Such “hardcore data,” which ground-based experiments could never capture, are paving the way for the design of new heat-resistant materials in China.
In the future, these materials could become the “armor” of spacecraft, able to withstand the blazing flames during atmospheric reentry. They could also serve as the “heart” of rocket engines, operating stably under extreme heat. Each breakthrough takes humanity one step closer to realizing its dream of voyaging to the stars and the vast oceans of space.
Global Times