Friday, 16 May 2025
Scientists and engineers at the University of Nottingham have measured the stiffness of space rock for the first time.
Many meteorites are made of crystalline materials, formed under exotic conditions that cannot be replicated on earth. The stiffness of the crystals that make up these materials has historically been difficult to measure and normally this requires scientists to grow a special single crystal, which in this case is not possible.
Published in Scripta Materialia, using a new technique developed and patented at the University of Nottingham, experts have measured this important property for the first time.
Lead author of the study, Wenqi Li, from the university’s Optics and Photonics research group, said: “These materials have evolved in unique conditions over millions of years to form these amazing structures and patterns.
These conditions cannot be reproduced on earth and meteorites have amazing large-scale microstructure and phase mixtures which gives mechanical and elastic properties that are quite different to the man-made iron-nickel alloys we can produce on earth.”
Meteorites provide access to information on the formation and evolution of planetary bodies which is otherwise difficult to study. The unique nature of these samples and their relative scarcity means that non-destructive analysis techniques are needed to study their properties. Understanding their properties develops the understanding of the formation of the solar system and the planets.
Studying these samples can also help develop an understanding of alloys used for aerospace and industrial applications, suitable for constructing extraterrestrial structures, making meteors a suitable source of material for future manufacturing in space.
This study uses the laser ultrasound technique spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy (SRAS++), which was invented at the University of Nottingham, to measure the properties of the Gibeon meteorite.
Associate Professor Richard Smith explained: “The SRAS++ machine uses lasers to make and detect acoustic waves that travel on the surface of the material, this means that we do not need to touch the sample and do not damage the sample in anyway. This is really important for samples where there is limited supply.
“There are no published values to directly compare the results of this study, as non-destructive measurements of the single crystal elasticity on granular material has not previously been possible. So, we compared our results with theoretical values for man-made iron-nickel alloys. We also calculated the bulk properties from our single crystal elasticity measurements and compared them to published measurements on the Gibeon meteorite and they also agree well.”
We're incredibly excited to gain access to larger pieces of these precious samples in the future so we can use the SRAS++ method to image the changes in the local elastic properties from the centre to the periphery of the meteorites to understand the formation of these complicated materials.”
Story credits
More information is available from Wenqi Li, Senior Research Fellow, on Wenqi.Li@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 24 in Europe and 15th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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